The Games
by carolioncriss
Summary: Daltonverse. Hunger Games AU. Drew/Satoru.
1. Chapter 1

The air was still. A quiet hum from the cicadas filled the large, unmoving crowd of people. Pressure built as the man with the lime green hair stuck his painted, talon like fingers into the clear bowl, mixing the hundreds of small papers that had been jammed inside. A sob could be heard from an older woman standing off to the side, her tired eyes never leaving the small girl in the front row with the light hair pulled back into a clean bun. Drew Mapleton let his eyes wander around the lines of people in front of him. He cowered away from the other people, having been dreading this day since the moment he had turned twelve. Now, six years later here he was, for the sixth time, knowing his name had been written fifty-seven of times onto those papers. Today could most definitely be the day that ended his life. A small hand wrapped itself around his own as he looked at the younger girl beside him. Her light red hair fell in waves just passed her chin and her piercing green eyes were looking directly at him with a frightening expression. She could be dead by this time next year, Drew thought to himself, squeezing her hand in a sad attempt to not only comfort her, but himself.

The man with the green hair pulled a single piece of paper out of the bowl as a sinister smirk formed on his thin pale lips. He moved towards the microphone, his jaw set in a confidant position as he addressed the waiting crowd.  
"Ladies and Gentlemen," he began to speak in a bubblegum voice. "Welcome to the sixty-eighth Hunger Games. The reaping has commenced, and we thank you all for arriving in such a...fashionable…manner." He spit the last two words out as he looked across the crowed, seeing the mass of people dressed mainly in old, dirty fabrics. "Now, I would like to introduce you to your first Tribute!" He grinned, showing off two rows of yellowed, pointy teeth. Drew cringed instantly, closing his eyes and praying quickly that his name would not be called later on.  
"The female tribute for District Nine, I call to the stage…," he looked at the paper, and then continued. "Hope Clayton!"  
Drew's head snapped up. Somewhere near the middle, a girl with dark blonde hair and kind eyes stepped forward. She was shaky, small and looked no older than fifteen. His eyes wandered from the girl to the large family on the sidelines that collectively looked like they had just seen something a lot more terrifying than a ghost.

She wont make it, Drew thought to himself as the girl shook the man's claw-like hand, standing up on her podium with a single salty tear rolling down her cheek. He wanted die. Having to watch people he knew from his classes disappear year after year. One by one, some years two by two, they'd never come home. Families would be wearing black until the day of the reaping a year later—where they were forced to wear white again. A voice on the other side of Drew tickled his ear. He glanced over to see the tall, lean figure of his best friend, who had taken his other hand.

"Good luck," whispered Todd as he looked back at the podium, his fingers twisting around Drew's.  
"Make me a deal," Drew whispered back as the man started his speech about honour, only moments away from calling out their male tribute.  
"What would that be?"  
"Neither of us volunteers. If I get chosen, you stay here. If you get chosen…," Drew took a shallow breath and then glanced at him, wearing a nervous expression. "I stay here."  
Todd Hendricks looked over at Drew with a sad expression. "Were both staying right here. Don't worry about that," Todd moved closer to him, giving an apologetic smile to the small girl on the other side of the blonde who had tears of joy in her eyes.  
Drew tightened his grip and gave a curt nod as the lime green haired man dipped his hand into the glass bowl.

"Drew?" Whispered Todd.  
"Todd?" He mumbled back, glancing over at him.  
"I think now is as good a time as any to remind you th-…"  
Both silenced immediately as the man's voice yelled into the microphone. Todd's eyes widened as he let go of Drew's hand and the tall blonde stood in complete shock, his face going pale.  
Drew Mapleon. The man had said. Drew didn't move an inch as the people parted in front of him like the red sea. A clear path on top of the muddy ground had been formed for him as someone pushed his back, urging him forward. His ears got warm as he took a single step, lurching his body towards the stage. He hoped and prayed and wished that someone would scream someone would stop this and volunteer for him; anyone but Todd. Yet no one did. No one in the crowed cried, no one sobbed or fell to their knees as he walked forward. This was all part of the game. Death came like breathing to District Nine, and Drew knew that just because he was terrified, everyone else was happy it wasn't them. Todd tried not to cry as he watched his best friend step onto the stage. He shook the hand of the man and stood beside Hope, loosely taking her hand in his own.  
"For the last time, Ladies and Gentlemen," the man continued. "I present to you, District Nine!"

A few people clapped, but not many. Suddenly, from the left side of the stage, a woman with wild curly brown hair stepped onto the stage, a clean dress flowing to her ankles. Drew knew this woman was to be his mentor. She was the one who would be training him and the small girl beside him until they died, or won the games. Her name was Arianne, he vaguely remembered. She had won the games for their district three years earlier and was one of very few who had. She firmly shook their hands and went to the front of the stage to give a quick speech. Most of the people had already left; taking their child home to celebrate the fact they had not been chosen. Drew looked into the muddy field and saw before him a group of only eight people. The six members of Hope's family, Todd, and the redheaded girl who had been standing beside him. She had moved now, tightly wrapping her arms around Todd in a way that made it look as though she was holding him up.

The sun was setting across the vast fields of wheat behind them, sending an orange-red light over everything the rays touched. Drew scanned through his room, looking for any comfort he could find. This was most likely the last time he would ever be in this room. Hope showed up in the doorway, followed by Arianne, who told him that the train was to be leaving in an hour and they had to go to their compartments for final goodbyes. Drew turned away from the two women, taking in a deep breath before he nodded, leaving all that he knew behind him. As he walked through the streets lined with people who had been let out of the factories and fields for the reaping, they waved, watching as he got onto the sleek looking train. He silently went to sit in his compartment, knowing no one would come say goodbye to him.

The sun had set completely now, and the bright light of the moon casted shadows across the walls of the pure white space. His door slid open as Todd crept into the room, his eyes red and his lip trembling.  
"You've been crying," Drew said this because there was absolutely nothing else he could say. Todd was his best friend and this was the end. But he wouldn't say goodbye. He couldn't bring himself to do it.  
"I'm going to miss you, Drew," Todd whispered in a raspy voice.  
"You can't miss me. Don't. It won't make it easier for you," Drew stood from his chair, walking over to the brown haired boy. "Tomorrow you have to get out of bed and go to the factory and work…and you have to be strong."  
"What if you die?"  
"You keep working," the blonde pushed out the words through clenched teeth, willing himself not to cry. "No matter what, Todd, you keep going."  
The other nodded weakly, shoving his hand deep into his pocket. "Y-you're allowed to bring one token from home, right?"  
Drew swallowed hard but nodded, looking at his worn out, mud coated shoes. "Yes, I suppose we are."  
Todd took a gold chain out of his pocket. It looked sturdy, like nothing could break through it. On the end hung a simple pure gold circle, a small scratch going down the side. Drew watched it send off a reflection of the moon's light onto the wall as he took it, fastening it around his neck.  
"Todd," he pulled him into a hug once the necklace was in place. "Thank you."  
"Live," Todd responded. "Just win this for me, okay?  
"I can't promise you that," Drew said dimly. His blue eyes had lost every last little glimmer of hope but he held Todd's gaze for as long as he could without feeling ashamed.  
"Don't give up before the games have even started."  
"They started the second they called my name."  
"And they'll end when you come home to me," Todd continued, pointing a finger at the blonde. "Alive."  
"I'll try," Drew mumbled the words, seeing the guard appear at the door to escort Todd back to the platform.  
"That's all I'm asking." Todd flung his arms around Drew and hugged him tightly, trying his best to remember every detail of him from his curly hair to his muddy shoes. When he pulled away he touched Drew's cheek once and whispered to him.  
"Be strong, remember you're biggest fan is right back at home."  
Drew covered his hand with his own, removing it off of his face. They shared one final look before Todd left the room, leaving the now extremely frightened blonde to fend for himself. After a minute, when the train doors had been closed, Drew looked out the window to see Todd waiting on the platform, waving back up at him.

Drew couldn't smile, he couldn't even wave back. All he could do was let a heavy breath escape his tightened chest as he began to roll down the tracks, leaving Todd, the redhead and the rest of District Nine behind him.

"Let the games begin." He said to himself, closing the blind on the window as he headed towards the Captiol.


	2. Chapter 2

Hope turned out not to be that bad. She had four siblings, one older and three younger and her family had barely any food. Her Dad had worked in the field for years and years until he got injured and had to stop working. Since then, her name had been entered into the games for the terrassae. One a year wouldn't cut it for her large family, so every reaping her name had been entered seven times. Drew sympathized for her; he had entered his name for the terrassae at least four times every year. Not for himself, exactly, but he would share the grain he received with as many people as he could. The tall, nicely built blonde was actually surprised his name hadn't been called sooner.

The train ride to the Capitol was long, filling and oddly relaxing at the same time. Drew realized that if he took it one day at a time, the games seemed like forever away, and in end, weren't as scary. When they pulled into the train station of the Capitol, Drew took Hope's thin hand in his own, leading her out the train doors to the station filled with oddly dressed people. Their simple black tops and bottoms contrasted greatly to the fluorescent colours that the others wore on their clothing, hair and skin. 

"I'm scared," she whispered to him as they were lead towards a car, leaving the last comfort they had. 

"Don't let them know that," Drew said quietly, keeping on his best poker face. "They see one sign of weakness and they'll eat you alive." 

"But I-..," Hope tried to speak but was interrupted by Drew. 

"We need sponsors; they look for people who will live the longest. If you're scared, they won't choose you. Do you want to win or not?"

"I don't want to die," Hope said. 

"That means you want to win," Drew let go of her hand and slipped into the car, ignoring the flashing lights of the cameras trying to get their attention. Hope followed him, looking at her hands along with their mentor. Since the moment he had left District Nine he had been trying desperately to forget. To forget everyone he's ever know prior to now, to think only of winning these dreadful games. _No alliances, _he had decided, not even considering what Arianne would suggest. _You enter the games alone, you leave the games alone. _Drew wouldn't dare let himself get attached to anyone, not even Hope. He remembered the games back from when he was ten. Two of the tributes from one District had been in a relationship prior to the game. When the girl Tribute had been chosen, the boy followed as a Volunteer. They both died within the first three days. He wouldn't be weakened by anyone or anything. Drew had someone at home waiting for him to win, and that's just what he would do. 

"Here are the rules," the mentor whispered to them both. "Don't argue, don't complain, give straight answers, do as you're told and never show weakness."  
She spoke the last part in a growl, looking only at Hope. 

"It sounds a lot like jail," Drew noted, trying to see out of the tinted windows. 

"Jail is heaven compared to this, farm boy. Here you aren't served food. In fact, be lucky

if the feast in the Capitol isn't the last food you ever eat." 

Drew paled, his strong male bravado failing him for just a moment as she spoke. The rest of the ride was in complete silence as they made their way to the training center, where they would be prepped for that evening's interviews.

The hallways in the building were cool, contrasting greatly with the boiling heat outside. Drew licked his chapped lips as he was placed into an empty room with a mirror, a few chairs and a large window looking out over the Capitol and its crazy inhabitants. He was told to shower and put on the simple white outfit that had been left on a hard looking chair. He did as he was told; looking at himself in the mirror once he was clean and clothed. Drew sighed heavily, pushing his damp blonde curls up off of his face. He had a scar running down his temple from when he was beaten by the peacekeeper of their District after trying to steal from the market a few years earlier. Bumps and bruises covered his tanned skin and a freshly healing cut accented his lip. He rubbed his calloused hands together, looking away only when the team who were to make him presentable arrived at his door. He kept the image of himself in his mind, knowing it would be the last time he saw himself as who he was before the games.

Hours later he stood in the doorway, dressed fashionably in a dark green fabric that clung to his body from his feet to just below his collarbone. Every inch of this fabric had been stitched delicately with golden thread, creating a beautiful embroidered design that covered over the green. The body suit went to his wrists, where the design continued, painted onto the back of his hands down to his fingers. His boots were a solid gold that was supposed to resemble the wheat fields they had back in District Nine, trying to stray away from the factory theme that year. He grabbed his gold necklace, fastening it around his neck after he had been dressed. The team had left his hair alone, finding the curls had given him a soft, delicate and innocent touch that contrasted greatly with his intense, chiselled features. He met Hope in the hall, seeing her outfit matched almost exactly to his, but she had shiny gold lipstick painted onto her lips, and her hair had been pulled into a tight pony tail, spilling down her back in soft waves. 

"You ready?" She whispered, standing beside a quiet Arianne. 

"As I'll ever be." 

"You look nice." 

"Does it really matter at this point?" Drew huffed the words, pushing passed them into the elevator. He was dreading this introduction and planned on getting it over with as soon as possible. They made their way down, following the twisted path towards where the other Tributes were waiting to be televised. Arianne walked into the building first, followed by Drew and then Hope. She turned back to the two young Tributes and gave a small smile. 

"You both look beautiful…now here's the deal. Don't talk to the others; don't even talk to each other. You need to look strong and composed individually. Only speak when spoken to, and keep conversations short." 

Hope looked frightened; Drew smirked to himself, knowing that when it came to interviews and public speaking, he'd be the more confidant of the two. There was something about him that always made people listen, and he was sure that by the end of the day he'd have the sponsors lining up to help him win the games.

He let his eyes wander around the room. Seeing people dressed in the most ridiculous outfits. He could recognize each district simply by what they were wearing. A pair from District Four were dressed in what looked like fishing nets, their hair decorated with small starfish and pieces of seaweed. District Twelve was wearing their usual mining get-up, while District Eight had beautiful furs covering their bodies. He looked over towards the stage and saw something quite unusual in the games. A pair of small, dark haired teens covered in what looked to be wires and computer components twisting up their bodies and decorating their plain black body suits, were laughing at each other, holding hands and pulling faces. 

"What?" he asked Arianne. "They look like twins…" 

"They're cousins," She responded. "District Three. They have an edge, the family factor. You see the boy? He Volunteered when the girl got called as Tribute. He wanted to…protect her, from what I hear." 

"It's sweet," Hope whispered, popping up beside Drew who rolled his eyes. 

"When one of them dies, the other will follow. Watch it happen."  
`

"I'd rather not," Hope sighed, stepping forward as she fixed her hair. 

Drew watched the two as they joked with each other, seeing only the sides of their faces. Finally the girl turned around, her long hair falling down to her waist. Drew raised an eyebrow as she caught his eye, giving a small smile. The other followed her, his eyes wide and a small smile on his lips as he followed his cousin's gaze. Drew looked down instantly, the intenseness of the other's eyes reminding him of how Todd looked at him, yet completely different at the same time. While Todd's eyes were intense, the others were warm, pulling Drew's gaze in and keeping their eyes locked together. The blonde looked over at Hope, who was starring at an extremely good looking blonde from District One. 

"Pull yourselves together," mumbled Arianne, smacking the backs of their heads. "We came here to win, not to ogle the other Tributes."

Drew sighed to himself, licking his increasingly dry lips. He wasn't ogling. He was barely even starring. It wasn't his fault that the boy from District Three had eyes like he had never see, it was not his fault his heart did this weird little twist when he smiled.  
_It was all District Three's fault._ Drew told himself, nodding in the general direction of his mentor. Hope and he were lead towards their chariot, where they would stand to be introduced to the crowd. Not only here in the Capitol, but they would be televised across all of Panem.

Arianne gave them final instructions before the chariots began to pull out into the large,

cleared out space where they were to be first seen. As the first eight chariots went into the large, loud space, character profiles were shown a mega screen hung by a hovercraft over the crowd. Drew didn't pay much attention, at first, until he heard District Three get introduced. He paid close attention then, trying to look over people's heads to see the two from District Three's profiles.

Mika Kogo was the name of the first Tribute, the girl. She was only sixteen, Drew noticed with a chuckle. _But what an odd name, _he thought. Finally, the profile was changed to the familiar face of Mika's cousin. Satoru Kogo. 

"Satoru," he whispered to himself as the other chariots pulled forward. "Satoru," he said again, getting an odd look from Hope.

"What?" She asked, glancing at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing," Drew began to say as he cleared his throat. "I just think that's a cool name…it's fun to say."

"Have fun saying his name when he's dead," Hope said in a quiet voice, mocking Drew's attitude from earlier in the day.

"He'll have sponsors by the dozen," Drew said quietly, not liking those words when Hope related him to the random boy from District Three. "That means he'll have food and the Capitol pushing him forward to winning. Don't put him under your radar."

She nodded as their chariot began to pull forward, and both of them held their heads high as they were introduced to the crowd. The screams and shouts from the oddly dressed people were deafening, and Drew fought hard to keep his composure strong. Cameras followed close around them, trying to get the best shots of their expressions as they were introduced as Drew and Hope, from District Nine.

"Look," Mika whispered from across the arena to her cousin. "It's the one you watched from the reaping on television…"

"He looks ruthless," Satoru whispered back, getting tugged down off of his chariot by their District's mentor.

"Watch him in training," Mika shrugged. "Find his weak point and he wont be as scary."

Satoru kept his eyes firmly glued onto the giant screen, memorizing the face of District Nine's male Tribute. The gold embroidered into his green body suit matched perfectly with his curly, almost angelic hair. Satoru focused simply on that, not letting the murderous look in the man's blue eyes worry him.

"Don't worry, Mikki," he sighed, biting his lip. "I'll keep an eye on him."


	3. Chapter 3

Drew sat impatiently in the uncomfortable chair. The room was quiet, the only sound to be heard was Arianne's mumbling to a nervous Hope. Static from the television hummed quietly to Drew as he flipped through the channels, waiting for the interviews from earlier that night to be broadcasted across Panem. He thought back to his awkward interview, hoping it would be better once edited and televised then it was in person. But, most of all, Drew wanted it to look good for Todd. This was the first time Todd would be seeing Drew in any way shape or form since he had left District Nine. 

The interviews had changed him somehow, made him realize that he felt like he was a pawn being interviewed before placed into the world's biggest chess game. But after all, what was the difference anyways? He was just a piece in a game, a big, twisted game. There was nothing he could do but pray and hope that he could outwit and outlast the others. Drew knew, he knew he most likely wouldn't last past the first day…but he hoped. 

"You did well today, Mapleton," Arianne said, nudging him with a bony elbow. 

"I tried," he said, attempting a smile that appeared as a harsh grimace.

"Something is bothering you," she noticed with a sigh, leaning towards him. "If it is, talk about it now, because as soon as you get into those games there is no going back. If that one little thing that was bothering you before is all you have to think about…forget about being murdered, stabbed, running out of food or water! Drew, you'd go crazy."

"I know, but I cant really talk about it…you wouldn't understand," Drew licked his lips and stood, crossing the room to the window where he leaned against the frame.

"Try me."

"I know I'm going to die," he whispered. "I know that I'm never going home, that I'll never see the people I love again. I try over and over again to tell myself that I could win, that the chances are in my favor as much as they are anyone else…but it doesn't work. I don't sleep, I cant eat, I cant think. Every time I close my eyes I picture a new way of how I will be killed."

"The games are evil like that," Arianne mumbled. "They infest your mind faster than any disease. You play in the games from the moment of the reaping. There is absolutely nothing you can do, Drew, but try." 

"I don't want to try," he growled, turning to face her. "I don't want to know that I won some game because twenty three other innocent people died." 

"You don't have a choice. It's that or die, Drew."

"Then kill me now, I don't ever want to be the cause of someone else's death," he spat the words at her, grabbing his half-empty cup of coffee before storming back to his room. He'd watch the interviews there, away from the harsh reality of what was coming for him.

They began like he always remembered they had, with a speech from the gamemaker of that year. It was long, drawn out and uninteresting to Drew, who instantly zoned out. _ You'll get to hear District Three's interviews, _Drew reminded himself as he reached for the remote, turning it up slightly. _They're going to die. _A voice in his head yelled at him, begging him to leave the two interesting teens alone. _ Because of these stupid games, those two poor, innocent people will die. Satoru and Mika,_ he frowned, rubbing his temples to try and rid himself of the pounding headache. _You know nothing about them, and you'll have to kill them for no reason. Maybe not personally, but by this time next year, they, or at least one of them, will be dead._

The voice of the annoyingly positive and way-too-interested-in-your-personal-business Ceaser Flickerman filled the room as Drew's head snapped back up to watch the television. First it was District One. Both were boring interviews, but the blonde, Logan, had quite the wit to him. Drew remembered the girl from the District, Lucy, had a loud, giggling laugh that almost made your heart break when you thought that she wont be laughing like that for a long time coming.

District Two caused an eruption of laughter to boom from the crowd so loud, Drew was sure they could hear it all the way down in District Seven. Derek, the Tribute, had jokes piled up that went on and on for the entire interview. Even Drew couldn't help but to chuckle a little; though he really didn't feel like he should have. Katherine was the girl, and her interview was one of the most boring. Straight answers, little talking and she barely looked up from her hands.

_Now! _Called the announcer, _I'd like to introduce to you District Three's beautiful Tribute, Mika Kogo! _ Mumbled voices could be heard from the crowd as the small but stunning girl stepped onto the stage. She gave a weak smile before sitting in the chair, shaking the interviewers blue hand.

_"You have got the longest hair I have darn well ever seen!" _

"_I hope they don't make me cut it all off," _She said, causing a delicate laugh from the crowd as she twirled a long black lock around her finger.

"_Oh it's far too pretty for them to do that, love! So, let's get to the point. We all want to know the story between you and your cousin. Was his volunteering planned? Would you have done the same for him?"_

She thought for a moment, her eyes glancing for barely a millisecond offstage as she looked towards her cousin. Her voice was quiet once she finally spoke. _"Satty is like a brother to me, always has been and always will be. It wasn't planned, no, not in the least, but I know that if he got chosen first, I would have done the same…I'd do anything for him."_

The crowd let out a collective aww, listening intently to her speech. Drew had assumed she would play it up, go into too many details in a sad attempt for more sponsors, but he was wrong. She spoke quite brilliantly.

_"that's sweet," _ he said with a smile. _"So Mika, are you leaving anyone at home?"_

"A lot of people. But luckily I have the most important one here with me, and if I could spend the next few weeks with anyone, it would be him," Mika's voice shook as she spoke, and Drew could hardly bare to watch. He hoped that they would do well, get as far as they could before they'd meet their untimely separation. The interview closed up as they called Satoru to the stage. Drew sat a little straighter, watching the TV with wide eyes as the tiny looking boy took his chair, a blush painted over his cheeks.

_"Well, Satoru Kogo," _The interviewer began, holding his hand out to Satoru. _"You're the cousin of the decade, the hero of the games and most likely…the smallest one here. How does that make you feel?"_

"Frightened," Satoru said in a small, nervous voice. The audience chuckled, and Drew was not sure why.

"_Aren't you proud of yourself? You've entered the game in high honors—to protect your cousin," _The audience clapped at this, causing the boy's face to redden yet again.

_"To be honest, im not sure why I did what I did. Of course I wanted to protect Mika, but look at me, I mean, compared to the other Tributes I'm a midget."_

"From what I hear you're a genius?"

"Yeah, I mean, I get good grades…but what good will that do me out there?"

"Alliances," Drew whispered at the screen, watching Satoru with intense interest, wondering if he was as smart as they all said he was.

_"You never know! Maybe this year the arena is a giant rubix's cube!" _ Again, the audience laughed, but this time so did Satoru. His face lit up in, whether it be from the harsh spotlights or his own excitement. But whatever it was, it made him look absolutely angelic. He smiled so widely; he looked so genuinely pleased to be able to joke with someone. Drew wondered how it was possible for him to be so cheerful when he could be standing just outside death's door.

"_Actually, Rubix cubes are just algorithms. I can complete one in under a minute," _ Satoru said with a smile, obviously getting more comfortable on the stage.

_"One more question before we're out of time," _The interviewer said with a Cheshire smile, his blindingly white teeth contrasting greatly with his blue tinted skin and dark, dark purple lips. "_Satoru, you realize the only way you can save your cousin is by dying, correct? You understand that in order for you to live, she must die."_

"Stop it," Drew growled viciously at the television, wishing he could rip the man's head off of his shoulders. Drew knew that saying that one comment was just adding wood to the fire, making Satoru's pain more unbearable then it already must have been. For some reason, Drew felt just as hurt by this comment as Satoru looked. The boy from District Three sat on stage with his dark brown eyes shining with the beginnings of tears, his face as white as a ghost's. Drew moved off of his couch, sitting in front of the screen with abnormally large eyes. _How could someone be so cruel as to remind him of that? _ He asked himself with his hands clenched into fists.

Satoru cleared his throat, trying desperately to keep his composure. _"Yes, I am aware. My plan is to keep her alive as long as I can. I don't…I try…I-," _he stuttered, looking away from the camera. _"I don't think about…that. I just think about trying as hard as I can to keep her, and myself, alive."_

"_That's all you can do," _the obnoxious interviewer said loudly, shrugging his shoulders. The interview cut to a commercial. Drew sighed. He was too preoccupied to watch the other interviews, barely catching glances of all the other trying-too-hard Tributes before his own interview came up. He was hardly interested, but Arianne had told him he must watch, so he did as he was told.

He looked confidant on stage. His hair had gone wild and the spotlight put on his only emphasized this. He was asked about where he was from, what his plan was to do in the games, if he was planning on making any allies and such. Drew answered as honestly as he could for all of them while still trying not to give away his game strategy.

When Satoru watched the interview, he saw it differently. To him, Drew looked like he was hiding. While on stage his mouth said one thing, but his posture told another. Satoru noticed how he mentioned once or twice someone back home, and he wondered if Drew had a girlfriend—someone worth fighting for. The teen licked his lips, idly playing with his cousin's hair as they watched the television, ignoring the notes given to them by their mentor.

"In the reaping," Mika began to speak. "For District Nine, when they showed the guy being picked…he was with someone."

Satoru and the mentor turned to look at her with a curious expression, wondering what she was trying to get at.

"Okay?"

"They were holding hands," she said with a shrug. "Maybe he's…well…you know."

"Please tell me when you get to the point," Satoru huffed, moving to the other side of the couch.

"The point is," said Mika, following him. "We need more sponsors."

"Like we don't already have enough?"

"Oh," said their mentor. He was a man in his early thirties with scars covering over his face. One bad one slid through his lip, making the skin there turn a pale, pale white that contrasted with his skin. "I see where you're going, Mika….you're right. That could work."

"When someone feels like filling me in, please do so," Satoru said in a bitter tone.

"Satty," Mika crawled over to him, sitting as close as she could. "You have the volunteer bit going for you, but what if you had more? Think about it, an alliance with that guy could keep us stronger for longer."

"Okay, and? I still don't see where you're going."

"If he's gay, Sat, we could have the cousin thing, the alliance, and the romance," she smirked a little bit, their mentor clearing his throat.

"What she's saying, Satoru, is that if you and District Nine had a relationship, it's destined for it to end badly. You'd have the viewers so wrapped around your finger, they'd be piling you up with food, medicine, shelter and anything else they could to keep you alive for as long as possible."

Satoru blinked, the possibilities running through his mind, flashing before him like lightening. District Nine, or Drew, he remembered, looked strong. He looked like he had confidence by the barrelful and a decent handle on the games. _It could work, _he thought to himself.

"But what if he's straight, and you're just crazy?" Satoru asked .

"I'd be more than happy to take your place," Mika said with a wiggle of her eyebrows, a smirk on her face. He shoved her, unable to stop the small smile on his face.

"Alright," he sighed the words, looking back to the screen as Drew had closed up his interview with a smile to the camera. "District Nine, you don't know what's coming for you." 


	4. Chapter 4

"Now, remember, you go in there and you try everything you can…aside from what you'll show the judges," Arianne reminded Drew and Hope as they headed into the first day of training.

"What if we're not sure about what our skill is?" Asked Hope, wringing her hands together with a nervous expression.

"Go today, try stuff out. Trust me, you'll figure it out before the day is over. Then you save it for the judging later on."

Drew sighed, pulling at the fabric of his plain black shirt. He was so used to the loose, hand-me-down clothing he would get from his older cousin. His parents would send him money a few times a month. Once Drew had been old enough to take care of himself, the two had moved to District Six to work there. Apparently the pay was better, and Drew really didn't mind being alone. He had his cousin and he had Todd. Really, what else would he need?

He walked confidently into the training room, seeing at least twelve other Tributes looking back at him. They were a few minutes behind schedule, but a lot of people still hadn't shown up yet. The large room had been lit with fluorescent lighting, making the stations seem to glow in the windowless room. It was very industrial and almost frightening. The fact everyone was wearing black made it hard to tell people apart, giving the feeling to Drew that he was in the middle of a funeral. _What a funny thought, to be at a funeral. Seems almost insignificant at a time like this. There would not be enough caskets to hold the bodies lost from this group of people. Besides, who would there be to mourn for them?_

Hope instantly went to the station where she would learn which plants she could and couldn't eat. It seemed like something she could be good at; she always had a good eye for minute details and small differences between otherwise alike looking things. Drew however found no interest in this. His eyes wandered from the fire making station, to knots, to archery, battle, and weaponry, then finally camouflage.

"Where to start?" He asked himself, feeling lost in the crowded room. He started towards shelter-making across the room, when a familiar voice caught his attention. Drew looked back over his shoulder to see Satoru and Mika sitting at camouflage across from each other, smears of paint covering their faces. They whispered to each other, glancing at the other stations. Drew wondered if he should go over or not, but decided against it and walked to weaponry.

"Mika he's right over there," Satoru whispered, trying his best to create the perfect shade of grass green with the materials given.

"Go. Talk to him now, before he tries to kill you at the cornucopia."

"But he's so…freaky…and…well tall," Satoru bit his lip and hunched over, fearing the plan they had made would fail miserably. Many, many Tributes came into this game not wanting alliances. It was highly possible that Drew felt the same way. Who was he to say that he could lure him into a group with himself and Mika, let alone lure him into a pre-planned, made for the games relationship? If Drew was smart enough to realize the Kogo's plan, Satoru knew he would be dead for sure. It was risky, and that worried him.

"Lots of people are tall, get over it. Go. Now. Or I'll go for you," Mika growled, shoving him up. He wiped away the camouflage from his face, making his way over to weaponry with shaky movements.

Drew had his eyebrows pulled together in concentration as he threw a dagger directly into the chest of the dummy about ten feet away from him. Instantly he picked up another, and with the help of the trainer, aimed it so it hit the dummy in the stomach. He smiled a little when it hit, which frightened Satoru more than the throw itself. _What kind of twisted maniac smiles when the hit someone with a dagger in their stomach? _

"You're…uhm," Satoru tried to say, picking up a longer knife. "Good at that."

Drew threw the last of his three daggers, missing the target completely when he heard Satoru speak to him. He growled, not appreciating the distraction, but he turned to face him anyways.

"Thank you. Next time wait to distract me at a moment when I don't have a knife in my hand, kay? That's how people end up dead." Drew said this trying to warn Satoru, but it ended up sounding like a threat.

Satoru backed away instantly, examining the knife he held. "Right, sorry. Just thought I'd let you know."

"Well you have," Drew mumbled the words, not daring to let himself look at the smaller boy from District Three. He walked away to grab his daggers, turning to aim at a different set of targets that were further away from him.

Satoru slid his finger along the edge of the blade, walking over to one of the dummies. With great precision and care, he began to carve away at the dummy, letting chunks of the rubber material fall at his feet. Drew watched him with a raised eyebrow, placing his dagger back at his feet.

"What are you doing?" Drew asked.

"I don't know…maybe my talent is sculpting," he nodded, chuckling under his breath. "Yep, yep, Satoru Kogo, cousin of the year gets the lowest points in training because his only talent is arts and crafts."

"That could come in handy," Drew said with a quick nod, watching every single one of Satoru's movements.

"No. Throwing a dart twenty feet comes in handy. Camouflaging yourself until you're invisible comes in handy. Doing this is-.."

Drew cut him off, placing his hand over Satoru's to stop him from his work. "Not carving in general. But how well you can use your hands. Dexterity. If you can work like that with a knife, I'm imagining you can tie knots. If you can tie knots, you can build quick and easy shelters."

"I'm not…good with my hands," Satoru pulled his hands back, stepping away from the dummy. "You know, you're not supposed to give others tips on how to win the games."

"I don't like rules," Drew responded. "Nor do I take suggestions from someone half my size."

"Fine," Satoru smirked. "It's your funeral."

Drew chuckled under his breath and picked up his dagger, slamming it into the side of the dummy's neck. Its head lolled to the side and Satoru swallowed, feeling intimidated and slightly frightened.

"Calm down," Drew mumbled to him, pulling the dagger out again. "I'm not allowed to kill you…yet." 

Everything about this person absolutely terrified Satoru. His smirk, the look of pure hatred in his eyes to everything in the room, his height, the scars on his face, on his hands and lip, the way he talked, moved, and could kill so easily. Yet, Satoru felt like he wasn't in danger near him. While he was scared, he felt like he was protected around Drew, which was a good, good thing.

_Okay, _Satoru thought to himself as they walked over to the knotting station, each taking a long section of rope as they were instructed through the different loops. _ Maybe you could get to like him…just give him a chance. _He glanced over at Drew who was pouting at his rope, trying to get it to loop the way Satoru's did, but he never could get it right.

"Okay, so I'm good with my hands, you're good with a dagger." Satoru chuckled to himself, finishing off the knot.

"I'm good with more than just a dagger," Drew whispered under his breath, giving up on his rope.

"Show me?" Satoru asked, peeking up at him with a small smile.  
Drew and Satoru spent the rest of the day sampling around the stations. They discussed anything they could from what they thought the arena would be like to what they supposed the cornucopia would hold this year. And, when the training sessions ended, Drew and Satoru smiled at each other, shaking hands quickly before they both got tugged off by the female Tribute of their district.

_Keep him alive, _Drew made a mental checklist, adding this on to his short list of things he knew he needed to do in the games: get as far away from the cornucopia as possible and don't drag Hope along; she's deadweight. But for some reason, Drew knew that the tiny boy from District Three and his weird, insanely pretty cousin would be good for him in these games. And while he still promised himself he wouldn't make an alliance, he told himself there was no harm in making a few friends before they, or he, died. 


	5. Chapter 5

"So how did it go?" Mika questioned as the two got ready for their individual judging. Their rooms were adjoined, unlike any of the other Tributes, but they had demanded it the moment they had arrived in the Capitol.

"How did what go?" Satoru asked as he walked out of the washroom dressed head to toe in the classic black uniform they were to wear.

"Earlier at training, with District Nine," Mika said quietly as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail, securing it tightly so it wouldn't fall in her face.

"Oh…" he paused. "You mean Drew. It was okay, but that man could kill us so easily it's frightening."

"Yeah I saw him with the knives." She turned to him and quickly picked a piece of lint off of his shoulder before moving towards the door. "Did you ask him if he'd join us?"

"Yes, Mika, I randomly went up to the frightening, monstrous blonde boy holding a dagger and asked him if he'd like to be my friend and not kill me in the games so I could start a fake relationship with him and in end, kill him so we could win the games."

"That's a little blunt, Satty. I wouldn't have said it quite like that…"

"I didn't," Satoru said with a huff, pushing open the door of his room. Their mentor trailed behind them as they walked to the elevator in complete silence. Everyone knew his or her plans for the day. It felt awkward to Satoru, the fact that they would be going into a room with four of the people who were planning the games that could possibly end your life so they could judge you on how good you were. He felt like a pig in a country fair. Being papered and fed, dressed to perfection and shown off to everyone he could have been to win the number one prize…only to be slaughtered come dinnertime.

He and Mika took their seats in the crowded room, trying to see if they could remember the names of all the other Tributes.

"District One has the blonde…the really good looking one," Mika whispered, a blush on her cheeks.

"Logan. Oh, and the redhead."

"Lucy, I think."

Satoru nodded, trying to remember who was in District Two. "Katherine was the girl," he mumbled.

"Wasn't the boy Derek?"

Satoru gave a quick nod, looking over at where District Nine should have been seated. They weren't there yet.

"Four…wasn't that…Wes and…uh," Mika continued, trying to remember. "Laura."

"Five was Shane and Casey, they were funny in their interviews."

"Six," Mika sighed, trying to remember their names. "The boy was good looking, tall, had really bright blue eyes…accent…"

"Oh! Him, right. He was…uh…jeez, I don't even remember," Satoru chuckled, pulling on the sleeve of his black shirt.

Drew couldn't help but to smile as he saw Satoru sitting in the waiting room with his cousin. His hair was a mess, like it usually was, and he looked absolutely adorable. Though Drew would never admit to thinking so. On the outside, Drew was a rock. Nothing in the games could faze him. But inside, the blonde was an emotional wreck. Everything about the games had been torturing him slowly and painfully, and now that Satoru had crept his way into Drew's life, he knew he wouldn't be able to stand loosing him, too.

"His name's Justin," Drew mumbled, taking the seat beside Satoru casually.

"Justin!" Mika snaps, grinning. "That was his name."

"And the girl is Erin. Bright, bright red hair? Yeah, Erin," he nods, glancing over at Satoru whose eyes were now glued onto him.

"Hi," Satoru whispered, licking his chapped lips.

"Hey," Drew smiled softly, giving a quick wave to Mika before he held his hand out to her. "Drew Mapleton, District Nine."

She took his hand, and Drew couldn't help but to notice how firm her grip was. "I'm Mika," she smiled more. "You know my cousin. Satoru, cousin of the year! Isn't he great? He's great, right? Gotta love him."

Satoru blushed darker, looking away from the both of them.

"Yeah," Drew chuckled, nudging the small teen beside him. "I guess he is pretty….courageous."

"He's more than that," Mika began to say, about to go into full detail about how wonderful and intelligent her cousin was, all in hopes to get Drew to have more reason to like him.

"Mika," Satoru interrupted, his teeth clenched. "That's enough, thanks."

She smiled innocently and patted the top of her cousin's head. His hair stood up at all angles and he moved away, closer to Drew, trying to flatten it out again. Drew smiled a little and leaned back in his chair, looking as Hope tried to shamelessly flirt with the boy from District Six.

The atmosphere of the room was cold. Aside from the three huddled up in the chairs, chatting casually, everyone in the room was practically silent. It was so quiet, someone could hear dust particles moving if they listened closely. District two's Tributes slipped into the room where they would be showing the judges what they had, and Satoru began to look increasingly nervous.

"You good?" Drew asked, leaning forward to tighten the laces on his boots.

"I'll be okay, I just feel like I'm going into a test or something back at school," he said with a weak chuckle, starring at the doors with wide eyes.

"You'll do fine," Drew whispered, glancing over at him. Satoru tried to smile back at him, but sighed a little, his hands shaking in his lap. Drew reminded him of what he saw in the training and what they worked on, hoping to calm him even a little. It didn't work, Drew knew it wouldn't, but he did it anyways.

When District Three went in, Drew watched Satoru leave. Mika went with him, standing right outside the door for any word from her cousin. The blonde couldn't stop his fidgeting. The scores you get in training are the last chance you have to improve your standings with the viewers back in the Capitol, all of Panem and of course, the sponsors. While Satoru already had the volunteer aspect on his side and the family drama, Drew knew that if his scores were low, people would see him as a weak fighter- not an ideal to sponsor. Drew knew Satoru needed something, one more thing, to give him the competitive edge necessary to get out of this game alive.

_Get out of the game alive? _Drew thought to himself, starring at the door. _ No, I need to get out of this game alive…But does that mean I want him to die? No, I don't. Then where exactly does that leave me? _

Every thought that passed through Drew's head from the time Satoru left, to the time District Eight's Tributes were leaving the large room were ones that brought him more and more confusion. The Hunger Games played games with your mind, twisting your previous ideals and mind frame into a perfectly molded killing machine formed and sculpted by the Capitol.

Drew stood when he was called, giving a quick smile to Hope who had hopped over to him in her usual perky manner. He slipped into the room where four judges sat at a long table, drinking blood coloured wine from long, thin crystal glasses. They didn't say a word, just instantly began to take notes, jotting everything down from his level of confidence to how good-looking he was.

He licked his lips, looking over to his left where a dagger was placed simply on a table, its never-been-used blade looking too shiny and too perfect for Drew to want to touch. But he grabbed it, not wanting to waste time. It fit in his hand like the hilt had been carved perfectly for him. Drew took a deep breath and went right to work, slicing directly through one of the dummy's necks before stabbing another in the stomach, moving as quickly as he could. The third dummy got the dagger stabbed into its forehead and he tugged it out, turning around and he chucked the dagger at the target on the wall across the room, not bothering to watch if it hit before he grabbed a second and sliced through one of the ropes they had hanging on the wall for knotting.

It was such a rush, watching the curiosity and fright shine in their eyes as he disembodied the dummies. But the look on their faces reminded him of the one on Satoru's face-Satoru, the person that he'll probably have to kill...or Mika, his unfortunate, beautiful cousin. He went to throw the last dagger at the target, picturing in his head how terrified Satoru would be if he were to see him right now. He was doing exactly what the Game Makers wanted him to do. He was going back to uncaring, animalistic values of life. 

He stopped mid throw, the dagger barely making it a few feet away from him.

"I can't do this," he whispered to himself and looked at the judges with wide eyes and a nervous expression. "I don't want to kill…"

They all stared at him like he was crazy, and maybe he was. But Drew made his way to the door, picking up the dagger as he walked. He shoved it into the bull's-eye of the target and stomped out of the room, slamming the door.


	6. Chapter 6

_I could be dead this time tomorrow, _Satoru thought to himself as he sat at the dinner table. His soup began to chill in front of him as he starred at a wall, his hand clutching on to the arm of the chair below him. Mika sat two seats away from him, talking and laughing as though she was totally oblivious to the blood battle waiting for them. But he wouldn't let her die. He'd do absolutely anything to make sure Mika lived through these games, if it was the last thing he did.

"Pass the wine," Someone asked him, but he couldn't move. He looked at the wine, wishing he held the magically ability to levitate the bottle to whomever asked, but sadly it stayed right there as he looked at it, not getting any closer to the person that wanted it in the first place. His mind was so far gone at this point; trivial things like dinner and conversation seemed horribly unneeded.

They began to talk of the scores from the last nights training program. His coach congratulated Mika on her score of seven, which was absolutely decent for someone of her age. Satoru knew he didn't do well, a score of five was all he could handle. Five. That was so much worse than Mika's seven or even Drew's ten.

He stood from the table, ignoring Mika's questioning stare as he walked back into their room, closing his door and locking it so he could be left by himself—to come to terms with the fact he was going to die. He hoped it wouldn't hurt too much, he wondered if all they said about heaven and hell was real. The eighteen year old sat cross-legged in front of his full-length mirror, starring at himself wondering who would come to his funeral, and who wouldn't bother due to how he died. He was the one who volunteered in the first place, so it was his choice to die.

Satoru thought about what life could have been like if neither he nor Mika had ever been chosen for the games. He could get a job; take over his Father's position, perhaps, meet someone nice. Mika would live close to him…he'd be happy. He'd be alive. But that wasn't reality. That was all just a daydream that could never happen. He stayed crumpled into a ball in front of the mirror for what felt like hours, closing his eyes and zoning everything out in hopes that it was something close to what being dead was—like he was practicing his coming death.

Mika stood at the door, gently pressing her hand against it. She knew better than to bother her cousin when he got like this, but tonight was a night that she didn't want to spend without him. "Satoru, open the door?" Mika whispered, her voice sounding muffled.

It took him awhile, but he finally managed to drag himself to the door with a vacant, almost dead expression. Mika looked no better and instantly pulled him into her arms, closing the door behind them with her foot. Their coach would know to leave them for awhile. She tugged him over to the bed and sat on the edge, hugging him tightly.

"Mika it's going to happen," he whispered, clutching on to the back of her shirt.

"I know, Sat, I know…but we're going to try our best, that's all we can do, right? We'll try," Mika said, the words not convincing Satoru, and definitely not convincing herself.

"I'll miss you," was all he needed to say to make Mika break down. She began to shake, moving closer to him to press her face to his chest, holding on like she was scared he would disappear at a moments notice. It didn't matter at that point which one of them survived, only the fact that one of them wouldn't.

Not a single Tribute slept that night, though it was expected they all did and for as long as they could. Morning peeked into the curtains far too soon, shining obnoxiously to symbolize the start of the 24 teenager's worst nightmares.

Drew stood in the shower for longer than he needed to, enjoying the last bit of warmth and comfort he knew he would have for a very, very long time. The crew trimmed back his hair, handled his burns, cuts, scrapes and various bruises before trying to stuff him with food. But he couldn't eat, feeling as though it would come back up within seconds of digestion.

As he got changed into the uniform he would be wearing to the arena, Drew thought of Todd. He hadn't done so in days, but this was his last chance. He bit his lip, worrying it between his teeth so hard he almost broke the skin. Todd was a reason to live. Todd was why he needed to win these games. But winning these games for Todd meant killing Satoru…something Drew wasn't sure he could do. 

The most frightening moment of all was when Drew arrived at the underground area of the arena. He knew right above him was the ground of his soon-to-be prison, and he lamented the feeling. Tributes and coaches scurried around like lab rats, changing into the Game uniform, yelling, crying, and panicking. Drew held his in his hands, watching Hope a few feet away from him wipe tears out of her eyes. He was forced to change eventually, and the suit was not at all what he expected. There was a jacket, made up of two layers. The outer part felt waterproof, like that of a windbreaker or raincoat. But then inside stretched across his arms in a comfortable fashion like it was sweat-absorbent, and most likely spandex. There was a plain black t-shirt underneath the jackets, form-fitting pants that matched the fabric of his inside jacket, and his boots were made out of comfortable, worn leather.

Arianne showed up behind him, fixing the collar of his out jacket. "You can do it, Mapleton," she mumbled, patting his back with a firm hand. Drew nodded a little, his hand reaching up to fumble with the gold chain that rested around his neck. It was the last bit of home he had, the last bit of who he was before these awful games began.

"Just live," Arianne said, and Drew let out a weak chuckle.

"I'm going to try my best."

When the time came, Drew was forced into a clear, glass tube. He stood on a platform, looking out over at Hope who was shaking so badly Drew wondered how she was able to stand. He regretted not saying goodbye, and gave a small wave as she looked back at him, pure terror in her eyes. He stood for what felt like hours, the air around him getting warm, sticky and almost unbearable. His foot itched, his mind was non-stop telling him he was going to be dead in an hour, and his heart would annoyingly persistent in his chest with it's loud beating.

His stomach jumped into his throat the moment the tube started moving. Drew let his eyes close, trying to remove himself from where he was. Thinking of being back at him, snuggled up on Todd's beaten down couch, talking about writing or science or anything they felt like. But the moment when Drew felt a blast of warm, dry heat slap him in the face, his eyes opened. He stood deep in a forest of pine trees, starring at a large golden cornucopia filled with treasures.

There was a bag, a few knives, a set of bows, rope, what looked to be a pick, food, clothing and tubes that Drew assumed to be medicine. He didn't see a dagger from where he was, but he hoped, as he got closer, that there was one there.

"WELCOME TO THE SIXTY EIGHTH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES," Said the booming voice of a man Drew assumed to be Seneca Crane, the Game Maker of that year. He zoned out of the speech, looking at only his surroundings. He could see every face of every single Tribute, and he wondered which ones would be dead because of the blood bath at the cornucopia.

The heat began to get uncomfortable. Making his layers of clothing stick to his skin like glue on paper. The sixty seconds before they were allowed to run, and Drew began to get increasingly nervous.

52…

He noticed how the forest seemed to clear out probably about a kilometer passed the Tribute across the cornucopia from him. It looked as though the entire world outside of this pocket of green was beige. 

44…

Drew licked his dry lips, praying to a god he didn't quite believe in that he could make it passed today, that he could get the dagger and get out of there before someone could kill him. He knew he didn't deserve to be saved, he was far from a saint, but Drew hoped that if he prayed hard enough in that moment, that he could be spared.

30…

The panic set in, taking over his mind. He pulled at his clothing, hoping to get out of the material as soon as he could. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Satoru. He stood on his platform five Tributes down from him, his eyes locked on something far off in the distance. Drew wished for him, too. He wished that Satoru could get out as fast as possible and that the two of them could make it as far in these games as humanly possible.

19…

Something glittered near the bag, like the blade of the daggers he had used during his private training session. He knew it was a long shot, but if he could get to that dagger he would be safe.

10…

He shifted slightly, getting ready to run.

8…

Drew sighed and mumbled a 'good-luck' to himself, feeling his legs shake like jelly as he tried to position himself so he could be at the cornucopia as soon as possible. He needed the dagger if he wanted to survive.

5…

Drew looked at Satoru one last time, and noticed him looking at the cornucopia now, moved into a running position like he had. So he would go to the cornucopia, which was exactly what Drew didn't want him to do. He would be dead the moment someone decided he needed to be out there, and that terrified Drew.

3…

2…

1…

The sound of the gong rang in Drew's ears before he could process what was happening. He darted out into the forest, passing through trees and scattered rocks as he maneuvered his way towards the shining dagger. People around him either took of in the other direction or were now heading closer to him, hoping to grab exactly what he wanted. His foot caught in a tangle of weeds but he kept his balance, reaching forward to grab the dagger.

Someone came close to him on his right and he immediately sped up, running as fast as he possibly could. There was not a drop of wind, and the air was so dry Drew felt like he was inhaling dust. His chest heaved, desperate for some air as he finally reached what he wanted, grabbing the dagger. Without a moments hesitation, his other hand grabbed the backpack and he put it on so the bag was over his chest before he turned, seeing someone coming towards him with a look of pure fury in their eyes. He darted to the side, scurrying away with his dagger held tightly in his hand.

He began to run to the edge of the woods, darting away from the bloodbath that had begun. He could hear the voices of people screaming in agony, the sound of skin colliding and the most terrifying sound of metal puncturing skin. Drew ran as fast as he could, moving closer to the end of the woods. He was almost there, too, when he saw Satoru out of the corner of his eye. He was running, a tube of medicine in one hand and what looked to be a rope in the other as someone almost three times his side chased after him, a machete in his hands.

"Oh fuck—" Drew half yelled, uncaring of who heard him. He changed directions and ran after the larger guy, who he assumed to be Derek from District Two. He was faster than him, luckily, and was soon right behind him. Derek reached out a hand and grabbed on to Satoru who tried to get away, thrashing and screaming and yelling and kicking.

Drew saw Derek lift his blade, and he couldn't stop himself from reacting. He took his dagger and sprinted to him, shoving the dagger into the back of his skull before he could touch Satoru.

"Drew," Satoru said with wide eyes, trying to crawl. He starred at the knife now implanted into Derek's head and tried to stand, getting away as fast as he could.

"I wont hurt you!" Drew yelled, pulling the dagger out of Derek's head. It coated over in rust-coloured blood that dripped down the handle. Drew quickly began to wipe it off on Derek's clothing, his eyes never leaving Satoru.

"NO, DREW RUN." Satoru said, running off towards the edge of the forest. Someone grabbed on to Drew from behind and he kicked his leg backwards, shoving himself free from the person long enough to get away, running towards Satoru.

He caught up to him and shoved the knife into the open area of his bag, zipping it closed with great difficulty as they got out of the forest. The ground outside of the small woods was completely rock. The only grass to be found was a sparse patch of dead weeds poking through the rock. Off in the distance more, the mountains began. Not just one, but hundreds. There were what looked to be caves and hills and ledges, but no water source. At least from what they could see.

Drew looked over at Satoru and stopped him for a moment, seeing people coming up behind him. "Run," he said, shoving him forward. "Don't you dare stop running."

"Come with me," Satoru protested, looking up at Drew with huge eyes. He tried to grab on to Drew's jacket to keep him there, but Drew pulled free.

"I'll find you now _RUN!" _Drew demanded, shoving him away. He didn't know if he would truly ever find Satoru, but he could get the people approaching away easier if he was by himself. He hoped Mika was okay and took one final glance towards Satoru before he turned to face the group of what looked to be Career Tributes.

Satoru was completely out of sight by the time Drew got his dagger out and began to run in the other direction, the Tributes following him instead of Satoru. He didn't stop until he reached the mountains, climbing through piles of rock as he tried to hide himself. By the time night fell, he was so deep into the rock formations that he was sure he had lost the Career Tributes.

The day had been so distracting, Drew didn't even notice when the cannon had fired. But now as it was night, the sky dotted with billions of unnaturally bright stars, Drew could hear the anthem being played. A screen appeared in the sky, and Drew looked at the faces of the people who died.

No one from district One, Derek from District Two.

_No one from District Three._ Drew noted, a smile playing out on his face. He couldn't have been happier at this moment. Satoru and Mika had both gotten away.

Both from Four, the girl from Six….

Drew felt a stabbing in his chest when he saw the next picture. Her bright eyes, bright blonde hair and child-like freckles that showed in the picture made her seem much younger than she actually was. Her face didn't stay in the sky for long, but Drew felt the pain so, so much longer.

Hope was dead. He was the last Tribute from District Nine.

Both from ten were dead, and the girl from Eleven. The anthem played again and Drew sighed, sitting down behind a large formation of was far from ignorable, and Drew began to look through his bag to see what was in there- a roll of bandage, a blanket, some random scientific looking contraption and a piece of flint. There was a roll of bread in the very bottom, and a bottle for collecting water…that was bone dry.

Drew finally peeled off the sweaty jackets, sitting in the still-hot night starring back at the forest that seemed miles and miles away. Drew let his mind wander off to Satoru and Mika, wondering if they had found each other, and if they were still alive now that the anthem had been played for the night. He listened closely for the sound of the cannon, but there was absolute silence. Silence so quiet, so still that Drew was sure if he heard it long enough, he would go crazy.

Drew had managed to make it through the first day of the games, and he wondered how long his luck would last. Eight Tributes were gone, but there were still 16 to go.


	7. Chapter 7

Drew woke the next morning to the sound of rocks falling not too far away from him. His eyes widened as he jumped up, grabbing his bag from beside him. He could see them falling now-large boulders tipping off the top of the mountain, rolling down towards him in a storm of dust. He yelped and started to run away from the falling rocks, but everywhere he ran, they seemed to follow. He wasn't fast enough to out run the falling rocks so he started to make his way back to the forest. One rock smashed into his back as he ran, and he could feel the skin tear around the area.

The pain was almost unbearable. He could feel his sweat stinging into the gash as he made his way away from the mountain, out in the wide open. He hoped no one saw him, because if they did, he was going to die. He pulled off his jackets, slowly and carefully getting out of the t-shirt. It stuck on to the bleeding skin, ripping and tearing it more as he tried to take it off. He could feel his body shake as he finally managed to free himself of the fabric. He needed someone. There was no way he could treat this by himself, and he needed water fast. Either the dehydration would get him, or the blood loss. Drew gave himself ten minutes, counting away the seconds in his head before he willed himself to stand up.

He could feel the skin around the gash pulling, sending jolts of pain down his spine. The blood dripped down his skin as he shoved his clothing back into the bag, hoping to find some water. The forest wasn't safe, he knew, but it was either way he wouldn't last long.

Walking on the soft ground of moss the forest provided hurt his back much less then the rocky terrain outside. He used the trees for support, dragging himself along. He would need to sit soon, before he fainted. The pain never subsided, but soon, his head ached and screamed at him with a stabbing sensation shooting straight through his temples. Eventually, he sat and opened his bag, pulling out the roll of bread he knew was inside. He took small bites, needing this last piece of food to last him as humanly possible. When he pulled out the roll, he saw the bandage.

Drew's eyes widened as he quickly grabbed it, unrolling it. He tried with great difficulty to wrap it around himself, hissing in pain as the cloth made contact with the gash. But that pain was better than infection. He tied the bandage at his chest, taking deep, labored breaths. He could feel the burns appearing on his skin from his exposure to the bright sun today and the day before, and the thought alone made him crave that water so desperately.

Satoru peeked out from the depths of his cave, glancing around at the bright, smoggy outside. He sighed, fumbling the rope he managed to hold on to between his hands. He had managed to find a small pond of spring water near the very edge of the arena, filling himself with water before he made his way to hide in the cave he was in now. But now Satoru was getting edgy. It was hot, so hot you could barely think straight, and he was completely alone. He hadn't seen a single person since he left Drew, and while he knew that both Mika and Drew were indeed alive, he needed more than that. He wanted to see them, to hug Mika, to hear Drew's voice.

Being left alone so long gave a person a hell of a lot of time to think. Satoru sat wide-awake in his shabby, cool cave all night, thinking about one thing, and one thing only. Drew. He would never dare to admit it to Mika, but this was more to him than just a game strategy. He loved being around Drew, how soft yet totally terrifying he was, how funny and straight out nerdy he could be. Satoru knew Drew would protect him, and that he should trust Drew. Yesterday was nothing but the perfect proof. Within that short frame of time, Drew had managed to save his life—twice.

That is, of course, not to mention how incredibly sexy Satoru found him.

"You're messed up," Satoru whispered to himself, pressing his forehead against the rock wall of his cave. "He's going to kill you. He's going to kill you just like he did to Derek, and you're sitting here thinking about his freaking smile. You twisted, masochistic freak. Yeah, no big deal, I'm in the middle of a damn dessert with like…14 other people all out to kill me…and I'm sitting in my cave having masochistic, sex-related thoughts about one of the other Tribu-…."

Satoru shut up, and fast, when he realized the cameras could be he on him at that moment. He hid his face in his hands and sat down, pouting to himself. He knew he shouldn't let his guard down, but right now, he really just needed a good pout. After awhile, he looked up again, his hair stuck down on his forehead in clumps. He licked his chapped lips and slowly stood up, deciding that a drink would do him good. It was a half an hour walk, he remembered, but it was worth it at this point. He took his rope with him, knowing it couldn't do much, but it was the only source of protection he had.

His eyes were kept wide as he walked, listening for the sounds of birds or insects, people, or rock falls like the one he heard not too far away from him earlier that morning. He could hear the bubbling of the water and he smiled a little to himself, his back burning from the heat of the sun pounding down on him. He had yet to take off any of his jackets, knowing he must have been given them for a reason…and, with his luck, he'd loose them the second he did.

When he got to the water's edge he cupped his hands and took a few sips, still wearily looking around himself. But soon, when he realized how alone he truly was, Satoru put down his rope and took off his two jackets, dipping his arms down in the water before wetting his face, taking a deep breath. His stomach growled as he drank and he knew he couldn't survive off of just this water for long. He thought back, trying to remember what he had learned in school. What kind of animal lived in this climate? Or, more specifically, what could he catch with just a rope and a tube of disinfecting medicine.

Just like Satoru had suspected, the moment he let his guard down, he heard the footsteps. There were more then one pair of feet coming towards him, and fast. He panicked, swallowing away the lump building in his throat. He wasn't very fast, and he was a loud runner. Satoru grabbed his rope and his jackets, backing away towards the side of one smaller mountain. He hoped they would pass him by without notice. But they just kept getting closer and closer, until Satoru could barely take the pressure anymore.

When they came into view, Satoru could barely recognize them. He knew they were from District Twelve, but he couldn't put faces to the names. He could hear them talking as they stopped by the water, talking about the clouds. Instinctively, Satoru looked up. And that's when he saw them. The clouds overhead looked dark. Like someone had taken cotton balls and dipped them in dark grey paint. He knew that meant there was a storm coming, and he mentally cursed the Game Makers, who were sure to have their cameras on this right now.

He heard the rumble of thunder, and made a dash for it. He ran passed the people, who instantly turned around, pulling their knives out of their belt. He made towards his cage, swearing loudly when he saw the two chasing after him with angry expressions. He grabbed on to a rock he found and threw it with all of his might back at them, watching as it hit the girl in the stomach, throwing her backwards.

But that only angered the boy. He growled, his knife positioned to kill as he chased Satoru through the rocky area. Satoru lost his footing a few times, scaling over the piles of rock and debris from that morning's rock-fall. He turned around when he hit a dead end, watching the person come back towards him. His eyes filled over with tears, knowing this was it. He was done for. He didn't notice when the rain had started falling, only that it was now soaking through his clothes. He shakily took his rope, looking as the District Twelve got even closer to him, and Satoru whipped it towards him, watching as it sliced across his face. He fumbled the knife, and without even thinking, Satoru lunged towards him, grabbing the blood coated knife from the ground.

District Twelve growled, grabbing on to Satoru and he shoved him to the ground, soundly punching him square in the face. Satoru yelped and tried to ignore the pain in the back of his head, or the blood dripping from his nose as he took his rope and fastened it around Twelve's neck, pulling it tight. He reached for the knife Satoru had now thrown far away and when he did, Satoru pushed his knee up, hitting him right in the stomach. Twelve cried out in agony, collapsing on top of Satoru. By then, Satoru knew he could get away. He knew if he just tightened the rope a little tighter, he could choke him.

So, despite the voice in his head screaming at him not to, Satoru did. He held the rope as tight around his neck as he could and watched as Twelve's face went purple. He watched as he choked and gasped for air above him, flailing like a fish out of water. Satoru tried to keep conscious, the knock to his head making him completely dizzy. He needed to get away, to hide again. Satoru looked at Twelve again and watched his angry expression as he took one final gasp then went limp above him. He gasped, his hands shaking as he loosened the rope and pushed the dead body off of him. He had just killed a man.

When the cannon fired Satoru shook back into reality. He saw the hovercraft appearing out of thin air above him. He made a dash for it, taking the knife and his rope as he hid in the nearest cave. Satoru didn't catch his breath for what felt like hours, feeling the blood slowly stop from dripping down his chin.

Drew heard the cannon fire from his spot on the forest floor. His body was soaked from the rain that was slowly stopping, and he could feel it seeping into his wound through the now damn bandage. He cringed when it did, feeling absolutely terrified that it could have been Satoru. He tried to get up, but the pain shooting down his back made him groan in pain as he went back to his awkward half-sitting position. His body shook and he could feel himself getting weaker by the second.

He pulled out the roll again, nibbling on it's crust as he waited for the pain to subside, but it never did. He did all he could think of, moving forward maybe a few feet every few minutes. It got him closer and closer towards the center of the forest, but at a snail-like pace.

When he heard footsteps, Drew knew he was finished. He looked down, his body aching, stiff and sore, as the steps got closer and closer and he bit his quivering lip, hoping they don't show his death, so Todd wont have to see it back home. He heard a soft gasp when the footsteps came to a stop a few feet away from him, and he waited for impact. Whether it was a knife, a bow, a hatchet or anything. Drew just sat and wait, ready to take his death.

But nothing happened.

He couldn't turn around to look back as the steps began to get closer to him again.

"Drew?" Asked a voice, a voice that made Drew's eyes open wide.

"Mika. Mika, oh Mika, thank _god._" Drew could see her shoes now, and bent awkwardly to look up at her. Her face was scratched down the side and her hair was completely gone. It ended in spiky pieces down just passed her chin, and it made his smile falter just a little.

"Damn, Drew! What the hell happened to you?" She crouched beside him, trying to take a peek at whatever the wound was that had left trails of blood oozing down his back.

"The rock slide."

"You were in the rocks?" She asked, pulling a bottle out of her hands. Drew gave a small nod, not taking his eyes off whatever the bottle was. She pulled off the cap and Drew let out a relieved sigh when he saw it was a bottle filled to the brim with water. She helped him sip from it, giving him as much as he needed before she put the lid back on.

"Where is he?" Mika asked next, standing back up again, reaching to help Drew get up.

"Who?" Drew asked, hissing loudly at the pain as she made him stand and wrapped an arm gently around his lower back to support him.

"Satoru!" She replied, looking up at him with huge eyes. "I thought he was with you…"

You could hear the panic in her voice, but it was reflected more in her worried eyes as she tried to help Drew out of the woods, knowing they were not a safe place to be.

"I-I," he began to stutter, the pain almost unbearable. "I told him to run, I was with him…he's in the rocks somewhere."

She looked down, a flash of something undetectable in her eyes. "You protected him?"

"Of course," he whispered, putting all of his weight on her. He didn't want to, but he couldn't walk by himself. "I wouldn't let him get hurt."

"Promise not to kill me and I'll make sure you sleep through the night." She said, looking off towards the rocks as they walked.

"Promise not to kill me and I wont kill you," Drew counted, biting his lip to try and ignore the pain.

"Deal, but as soon as we wake up tomorrow, we're looking for Satoru. And we wont stop, rest or sleep until we have him back."

"Trust me," Drew said, looking over at her with a determined expression. " I…I want to find him as much as you do."

"Then we'll make a good team, District Nine."


	8. Chapter 8

"Drew….Drew….Drew….Drew…oh my god, are you dead? Drew, wake up, Drew.. DREW!" Mika shouted at the sleeping body, almost ready to poke him with a stick when he grumbled, waving a hand back at her.

"Im okay, stop yelling."

"It's almost noon, by the looks of it. So get your ass up and lets go find my cousin," she huffed, nudging the toe of her boot into the back of his kneecap, trying to wake him.

"Injured here, please refrain from any unneeded touching, thank you very much," he said, slowly moving to sit up. His back ached and his stomach growled as he blinked his eyes open.

"Don't worry, I'll save the touching for my cousin," Mika smirked.

"Charming."

"What's the story between you two anyways?" She asked, trying to help him get back up on his feet. He swayed slightly and rubbed at his lower back, avoiding from touching his now healing wound.

"Story? Between me and Satoru?" Drew laughed weakly and shook his head. "We don't have one."

"Then why are you so interested in finding him?" Mika was glad he was, knowing that this was all going according to her and Sat's plan.

"Because I care about him, for some twisted reason," Drew huffed, "now lets go, before the cannon fires and-" Drew paued, looking at Mika with a pale face. "Did you see the anthem and the dead last night?"

Mika nodded, giving a small smile. "Both Twelve's, and a One. That's all."

A relieved sigh escaped Drew's lips. He shakily made his way to the edge of the cave that they had taken refuge in the previous night. His memory was so foggy at this point, yesterday was all just a distant blur. The sun pounded down on the ground and you could almost hear it as it sizzled against the rock ground. Drew was terrified there might be another rock fall, but he would never verbalize those fears. He knew it was a way for the Game Makers to push them all together, but gladly Drew had made it out alive. Now the major concern was food. And water.

The two slowly started into the rocky mountain area surrounding, trying their best to keep to a clear path, because climbing was something Drew did not want to do with the already searing pain coming from his back.

"What are the chances that he would go into the woods?" Drew asked, glancing at Mika.

"Little to none. He likes caves, he's a good climber, and he knows how to stay silent. So if there's water out here, or even some food, he'll be fine. "

"Have you seen any food?" Drew asked nervously.

"Yeah, actually. There are birds in the woods, squirrels, chipmunks…I saw a snake out back in no-mans-land."

"Sounds…" Drew began to say, his face a light shade of green as they slowly crept around the corner of the mountain.

"Disgusting. I know, but what other option do we have?"

Drew thought about the food on the train. The rich sounds and tender meats that he completely took for granted. He would pay anything to eat a decent meal right about now. The sky looked grey, like it was going to rain again, and Drew got slightly nervous. Any chance of food they had would go into hiding if it began to rain. And Drew needed food before he collapsed.

Not far away from them, Satoru shoved his foot into a hole on the side of the mountain, reaching up to grab on to a ledge as he heaved himself up, scaling the side of the cliff. He wanted a better view so he could find people, water, or even food—the last being his major goal. He took deep, heavy breaths, hearing the cannon fire off in the distance. Every time it did that, Satoru panicked. In his mind would flash pictures of Mika getting attacked or Drew collapsing in the heat, or even worse, either of them being stabbed the way Drew had attacked Derek.

But he pushed it from his mind, needing the rest of his strength to pull himself up onto the small ledge, looking out over a larger area of space. He tried to even out his breathing, taking a moment to breathe as he looked out around him. Satoru knew he needed glasses, but those would only be a weakness to him in the arena. His lips cracked as he moved them, desperate for water. But there was no way he was going back to the water spring he had found now.

Satoru stayed up there for about half an hour, just looking around. There were no people that he could see, and Satoru wondered when the Game Makers would decide it was time to force them all together. He was completely lost in thought when he heard a growl down below him. Confused, he looked down over the small ledge, seeing a mountain lion prowling it's way back and forth right beneath him.

"Fuck," he squeaked, pressing back up against the wall of the mountain. The sun was pounding down on him, and he had left his jacket in his cave, where the creature could easily destroy it. He wouldn't be able to get down until the mountain lion had left, and that could be hours. The sun would get to him by then. Knowing the Game Makers, this wasn't any ordinary animal. It was probably venomous or blood-thirsty or something that would bring Satoru to his doom.

"H-Hey…little….big….kitty….c-can you please…l-leave?" He crouched down, looking at the giant cat that watched him with a snarl. "D-don't eat me please…p-please go back to your kitty friends.."

Satoru Kogo did not know how to reason with mountain lions.

The cat growled up at him, scratching its claws down the rock that he had used to climb up. Satoru swallowed and sat back against the wall again, trying to figure out what he could do to make it go away before he got fried to death.

Drew heard the loud growl over Mika's blabbering, his eyebrow rising slightly. "Did you hear something?" he asked, his expression frantic. If it was people, he couldn't run away. If it was something that would attack them, he couldn't run away. But if it was food…well, his stomach gave its own growl just at the thought.

She blinked, looking around. "Hear what, Drew?" Mika let go of him, making sure he didn't fall over before she took a few steps further to glance around the corner. She squeaked silently, rushing back over to Drew and she slipped his arm back around his shoulders, pulling him away from where they were going.

"Mika? What are you doing?" Drew blinked, limping along beside her as the pain in his back increased.

"ohmygodDrew,it'samountainlion…"

Drew raised an eyebrow, trying to get her to slow down as he could feel the skin in his back beginning to tear open again. "Sorry, what?"

She mumbled the words again. 

Drew raised an eyebrow and freaked out, trying to ignore the pain from his back as he walked. "MOUNTAIN WHAT-"

Satoru heard a vaguely familiar voice through his sun-induced haze. He peeked his head up, still hearing the mountain lion walking around below him as he heard the voice. He couldn't put a face to the name at that point, and he took short, labored breaths as he crawled back to the edge, looking at the cat.

"Kitty did you say something?" Satoru felt his brain practically melting away as he looked at the lion.

Mika shoved her fist into Drew's arm, glaring at him. "Shut up Mapleton or we'll both be dead thanks to you and your damn stupidity!"

Satoru heard another voice, but this time one that he knew. He looked down at the cat and tilted his head, seeing a chunk of the ledge go tumbling down to the ground below him.

"Mika kitty?"

Mika stopped mid step, letting go of Drew completely. She could hear a whisper of a voice, one that she hadn't heard in two days. Drew crumpled the second that she let go, the blood from his freshly re-opened wound staining the back of his shirt. Before he could make a noise, Mika was gone, running back towards the voice that she had heard, not caring if she would have to face a damned mountain lion to get to him.

"Satoru?" She asked, peeking her head around the edge of the mountain. The cat turned and looked at her, bearing its extremely over-sized fangs.

Satoru lied down on his stomach on the ledge, his head getting increasingly heavy from the pounding sun. He heard someone call his name and shoved his hand out over the ledge, waving it around wildly. Mika couldn't believe her sight. There was her cousin, barely ten feet above her, and she couldn't move an inch as the giant mutated mountain lion stalked towards her.


	9. Chapter 9

Drew slowly turned from his spot on the ground, crawling with difficulty over to where Mika was standing. He could see the mountain lion, watching as it moved towards them, but Drew ignored it as he let his gaze fly upwards, to where Mika was looking.

"Satoru," he said with wide eyes, trying to get back up on his feet.

Satoru peeked down again, blinking his eyes a few times. "Drew?" He asked, his skin turning a light pink from over exposure to the sun.

Drew hissed as he got to his feet, feeling the blood from his re-opened gash cracking on his back as it dried. He looked back at the now growling cat and its dark, beady black eyes as it crouched before him, prepared to attack. Mika stayed completely frozen to his left, looking absolutely dumbstruck by the creature. Drew dug his nails into her arm, tugging her back away from the cat. He knew that if she got in trouble, then Satoru would most definitely never talk to him again. That and there was the fact that Drew found the tiny, sarcastic girl to be highly amusing.

"M-Mika what do I do?"

She said nothing and he took a step back as the lion edged closer. Satoru continued babbling randomness from his spot up on the mountain, letting his hands dangle down off the ledge. Drew reached back towards Mika, his eyes wide as the giant mutant cat hissed at him, barely a foot away. He stumbled back until he was behind Mika and opened his bag that she was carrying for him, pulling out his dagger.

He pushed Mika further away as the mountain lion pounced towards him and he shoved the dagger towards it, hitting its shoulder. But it didn't stop, pushing Drew back down against the ground, dagger bloody and pushed out of Drew's hands, too far away from him to reach.

Mika blinked, everything moving in what seemed to be slow motion. She grabbed the dagger, charging at it before it could tear Drew to bits. She had no idea what she was doing or how she was doing it, but she stabbed the knife into the lion's side. It turned away from Drew, making a loud growl of pain as it swatted at her, scratching along her shoulder. She cried out in pain but stayed up for as long as she could, stabbing the dagger directly into the creature's throat.

It fell at her feat in a blood-covered heap and she practically fell on top of it. Her shoulder stung, but she knew the cuts weren't deep enough to do much damage. She glanced around herself, seeing Drew groaning on the ground, trickles of blood appearing from behind him and Satoru, who was still up on his rock, looking down at the whole scene with wide, terrified eyes.

So for the time being, Mika ignored the pain shooting through her arm and pushed herself up off the limp mountain lion, slowly making her way over to the bottom of the cliff, looking up at Satoru.

"You need to come down, Satoru! NOW. Please? Please. Come here. I-I can't…I…," She sighed, watching Satoru shake his head and move back against the side of the cliff, refusing to come down.

"The thing's dead, Sat…please. I-" she made a noise of agony as she moved her arm, trying to get away the numbness taking over it. "We need you…Drew's going to bleed half to death if you don't help me move him out of here!"

Satoru considered this, his body shaking from the combination of complete fear and a desperate need for food. He was lethargic from the day's events, and he couldn't bring himself to move.

"Is he okay?" He asked in a quiet, wobbly voice. "Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, sure," she said dryly, "it's all hunky dory down here."

Satoru closed his eyes, mumbling. "I don't know…h-how to get down."

"You're the one who got yourself up there," she reminded him.

"Getting up and getting down are two totally different things."

Drew forced himself into a sitting position, his head aching and dizzy from being shoved down. He forced himself to look up, even the smallest movement being one of pure torture. "Satoru…are _you _okay?"

Satoru blinked again, his mind slowly processing what was going on below him. Drew was there. Drew was right there, on the ground in a patch of what looked to be his own blood. He edged closer to the side of his ledge, his eyes glued to the bleeding dead mountain lion.

"I-I'll be okay if that thing is dead."

"I just told you," Mika said again. "It is." She moved over to Drew as she talked, lifting up the back of his shirt to see the damage. The cuts were mainly healed, but one area had torn open again, the blood dripping down his back.

"Fine," Satoru whispered. "I'll f-find a way to get down."

Drew sighed, relieved, and mumbled to Mika, asking her to help him get up. His eyes never left Satoru as he reached a hand out to a bump in the cliff side, edging himself out more, his foot resting on the smallest piece of rock. He began to slowly climb his way down, getting stuck a few feet from the ground. Satoru jumped the rest of the way, landing on the ground with a thump.

He ran over to Mika and Drew, his body stinging from the sun burns. "Oh god that is a LOT of blood…"

Drew reached his hand towards him when he got over, touching his arm. "You're not hurt right?"

"No, I'm fine.." Satoru said with a small smile, glad the blonde was so caring about his safety. The two cousins managed to get him up off the ground, each supporting him as they made their way over to the dead cat.

Satoru shakily used his free hand to pull the dagger out of the cats neck, turning green from the sight. He clutched it tightly in his hands and nodded towards Mika, who helped him get Drew into the closest cave.

It was Drew who then looked up at the two with a pale expression, his eyes closing as they laid him on his stomach on the cold floor of the cave.

"Meat," he reminded them.

"The thing!" Mika remembered, still clutching on to her shoulder.

Satoru smiled weakly, his body still sore. They would definitely need a few days rest before they could all head out again at their strongest.

"I'll go…uh…. drag it over. Mika, watch him, okay? Keep his shirt up off the cut."

She nodded, doing what she was told with her half-numb hand.

"Be careful?" Mika mumbled to Satoru as he slowly made his way out of the cave. Satoru gave a quick nod before heading out again, leaving Drew and Mika to themselves.

"Your arm.." Drew croaked, turning his head on the ground to face her.

"I'm fine, it's okay Drew. We're worrying about you right now."

"Sorry," he whispered, eyes heavy.

"Hey…we got him, didn't we?"

Drew smiled weakly and tried his best to nod his head, fighting the urge to sleep.

"Don't loose him this time okay? I'm putting myself in enough danger as is, and it would be nice to know I'm at least getting into danger to protect someone important." Mika paused, moving her hand up to brush the hair off of his forehead. "I'll try my best, Drew…and he is important. Most important person in these games. Just promise me something, okay?"

"Anything."

"If something happens to me, promise you'll take care of him. That you'll make sure he gets home," Mika knew it was a long shot, and a lot to ask of the boy, but she needed to know that no matter what, her cousin would be safe. Even if Drew lied and said okay, Mika needed to hear it in order to placate herself.

"I'll try my best, Mika," Drew mumbled, his eyes closing. "He's safe with me."

Mika sighed, relieved, and continued to try and soothe him until he fell asleep, his breathing calming greatly once he did. Mika watched the edge of the cave, seeing the sky turning a light pink from the setting sun.

This place would be where she died, most likely, but it was definitely beautiful. Mika was overjoyed to know she had her cousin back, and weirdly she was also glad Drew was there too. Drew was someone to talk to, someone to take care of her cousin once he was healed of his own injuries.

"Drew?" She whispered, knowing he was still asleep. He didn't move, didn't give any clues to suggest he was awake, so Mika continued. "He'll take care of you too…I know he will. I can tell you like him," she sighed, remembering the original plan. "I hope he likes you back. He's a little weird and all, but I think you two would be good for each other."

She glanced up then, her eye catching a glint of something silver falling at the mouth of the cage. Her eyes widened, noticing the parachute, and she jumped up, grabbing it quickly. It might have been for her, maybe for Drew, but when she opened the package she was thrilled to find some more bandage and a disinfecting ointment. She pushed down the collar of her shirt, quickly soothing over her wounds with the cream. After covering her cuts with the bandge, she put the items back in Drew's bag, reaching for the flint she had deep down in her pocket. Satoru would be back with the dead cat now, and they would need a fire if they wanted to cook it. But Mika knew, that in a few hours the three of them would be feasting for the first time in days.


	10. Chapter 10

The floor of the cave had left indents in the skin of the blonde's cheek. He moved slightly, trying his best to rouse himself from the sleep-induced state, hearing the familiar whispers of his two allies. His body was stiff, but it didn't burn like it did when he fell asleep yesterday. He could vaguely remember the cooling sensation of cream being smothered over his back, and when Drew slowly reached a hand to where his gash had been, he could feel the rough, bumped patches of skin from the scars he now had. They must have gotten some form of cream from the Capitol-nothing herbal could heal that quickly. That meant they had a sponsor.

Drew slowly and carefully rolled himself over, stretching out his arms and torso before completely opening his eyes. The first thing he registered was the fire not five feet away from him. It had burnt down to coals, and right to the left of it sat a chuck of partially burnt meat sitting on a rock.

"That's for you," said Satoru quietly, causing Drew to jump. He wasn't aware Satoru was in the cave. He turned, seeing the smaller teen sitting in the very back of the cavern, pressed against one of the walls. He looked so small there.

"Thank you," Drew said roughly, crawling over to get the meat.

"Is this from the-"

"Yeah," Satoru quickly answered, moving silently towards Drew. "Your back looks better…I'm guessing the cream worked."

Drew nodded his head, biting into the slightly disgusting chunk of meat when he felt two small hands press against his back. He shivered, tensing almost immediately.

"I'm not going to strangle you, don't freak out.." Satoru whispered the words; letting his hands slide further up his back to rest on his shoulders. He shuffled closer to the blonde, feeling as he slowly began to relax. Satoru tightened his arms around him until he was hugging him, pressing his forehead into Drew's shoulder blade.

Drew blinked. Being hugged wasn't something that happened on a day-to-day basis for him, and he wasn't used to it. It was unusually warm, and the fabric of Satoru's jacket stuck to his skin from the thin sheen of sweat coating his body. Drew finished chewing on the rough chunk of meat, glad to finally have some food, before he pulled Satoru's arms off of him, turning around to look at him.

"I don't hug."

"I don't care if you don't hug," he replied, looking up at him. "You've saved my life too many times to count already and that deserves a thank you."

"Then just say thank you," Drew said awkwardly, looking down at his feet.

Satoru wrapped his arms around him again, hugging him.

"Stop with the hugging, please?" Drew whispered, desperately fighting the urge to hug him back.

"Why should I?" Satoru said, acting slightly like a five year old, in Drew's opinion. "I'm scared, you're scared. If you weren't scared in these games you'd be absolutely mental. The number of people in these games is falling by the second and that means our chances of dying are growing every hour. I don't want to die feeling alone."

Drew paused, listening carefully. He couldn't stop himself from letting his arms wrap loosely around the smaller boy in front of him. "You have Mika."

"Getting any closer to her now is just going to hurt her more when…when…"

He couldn't finish his sentence, and Drew wouldn't push him. The hug was the first form of friendly physical contact he had encountered since he had left Todd at the train station back in District Nine, and the blonde had forgotten how nice it could feel to have someone holding you up.

"You've got me too, then. But it's the same situation no matter who you make friends with in this arena, Satoru. You've got to look at them and realize one or both will be dead by the time these games are over."

"So you plan on being completely alone?"

"That was the original idea."

"Look what being alone got you, Drew. You almost died before Mika found you. You've got two people watching your back now, as long as you'll watch ours."

Drew nodded, remembering what Mika had asked him to do the night before. It was weird, having to put all of his faith in two people who could easily turn around and kill him, but Drew had no other option. If he was going to die anyways, why not make it with people he didn't mind spending time with.

"I'm not going anywhere," Drew finally managed to whisper, taking a deep breath. He could feel Satoru's eyelashes on his chest when he blinked, and the blonde wondered when they had gotten so close.

"Good. So then…allies?"

"Allies."

Satoru smiled a little from his spot, only moving away when he heard Mika clear her throat, returning from her water run to the spring Satoru had found when he was there earlier. He blushed, his face a dark red as he unwrapped himself from around Drew, who was already gone within a millisecond of him letting go.

"Sorry to interrupt that sickeningly cute little moment, or whatever, but we're kind of in the middle of the Hunger Games here, not a chick flick. Grab your bags, we've got to keep moving," she said firmly, chucking her water bottle towards the two.

Drew shoved the last little bit of meat in his mouth, pulling his shirt out of his bag, ignoring the crusted stains from his blood as he slipped it back on. He put his back pack on, heading to Mika with Satoru following close behind.

Satoru instantly noticed that it was colder than it had been the last few days. He glanced upwards, seeing that the sun and the rest of the sky had been covered over by thick, heavy looking grey clouds. Rain. Rain was a good thing; it meant they could collect water no matter where they were. But, at the same time, it would push all the animals into hiding.

"We can't keep walking around out here," Drew said, looking down at the wide expanse of rock that went out for at least a mile or so in each direction. "We're easy targets this way." 

"He's right," Satoru chorused in. "We should go through the boulders."

Mika looked over to the large pile of debris and rocks from where the giant rockslide had been earlier. She sighed, her arms still stiff and pained from where the mountain lion had scratched her. Most of the cream they had been gifted had gone directly to Drew, so she was left with some of the pain.

"Drew are you up to it?"

"I'm fine," he said with a quick nod, grabbing on to the sleeve of Satoru's jacket to pull him up to where Mika was. "We can't stay out here if we want to survive."

She nodded, heading back towards the mountains. When they reached the edge of the rock piles, Drew started climbing through first, dagger in his hand incase they ran into any unwanted visitors. Mika took the middle, because Satoru was completely uninjured, and was the best climber of the three.

The rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance as they made their way through the debris, shoving and digging through the piles as they went. It was dusty, making it almost impossible for the three to breathe once they were getting deeper into the mess of rock covered ground. The caves weren't too far to their left, so they all knew they could easily make it to them if someone showed up.

Before they knew it, the water bottle they filled that morning was bone dry. Mika licked her lips, hoping to get rid of the annoying chapped skin. Her arm was aching as she pulled herself up and over one of the larger boulders, watching as Drew reached back over to Satoru, offering him his hand. Satoru clutched on to it, climbing over the rock and jumping down to land right in front of Drew. They kept walking for what felt like hours, never taking a moment to breathe.

"Ouch," Satoru said through clenched teeth, reaching up to touch the sizzling spot on his shirt.

"What?" Asked Mika, quickly turning around to see what was wrong with her cousin. He removed his hand from the spot, showing the small hole that had burnt through his shirt, a red welt forming on his skin.

"What the hell is-" he began to say, when another drop fell, this time hitting Mika's forehead. She hissed, wiping at the burnt spot.

Drew raised his eyes to look up at the sky, the thunder getting louder.

"Get to the caves. Now!" He said with wide eyes as it began to rain, drops of the burning water falling on to them faster and faster with every second. They quickly dashed to the mountains, growling and yelping whenever they would get hit with a drop of the acid rain. Soon it was pouring, and the three sprinted forward, ignoring the burning feeling that was now consuming their whole bodies. Drew practically pushed Satoru into the cave, breathing heavily.

"It's acidic," he explained, watching the hazy, almost white drops of rain smash onto the rock right outside. He heard a scream, one of agonizing pain, from not that far outside and cringed, shoving the other two further back.

"Someone is out there," Satoru said, scratching at the welts covering over his arms.

"Well spotted now shut up!" Mika stage whispered, sitting half on top of him in the small cavern. Drew took a deep breath and held his finger up to his lips. Satoru let out a yelp as he saw the figure of a girl with long dark hair. Drew recognized her- her name was Casey. She must have been following them.

Her face was covered in red welts, Drew noticed, as another agonized scream of pain escaped her lips. She collapsed a few feet away from them, her eyes starring at them, turning red from the drops of rain falling into them. He felt as Satoru grabbed on to the back of his shirt, pressing his face back against him. Mika's shaky breathing was right beside his other ear as he starred at Casey, watching her shake and convulse on the ground like someone had just electrocuted her.

The rain continued to pour, sizzling against the decomposing body of District Five's female tribute. Eventually the cannon fired, and Satoru peeked up, still clinging on to Drew, as he saw Casey's red, limp body being lifted out of the arena by the hovercraft.

"That's absolutely disgusting," Mika mumbled, still stuck behind Drew who wouldn't let either of them move incase the girl was travelling with company.

"Shut up," Satoru whispered, his hand almost white from how hard he had been clinging on to Drew. He was the only one of the three who actually faced another tribute by himself. Sure, Drew had fought off Derek, but Satoru was there as well. He was completely alone when he did, and Satoru was terrified of being caught again.

After almost an hour, the rain began to stop. Drew relaxed in front of the two and Mika crawled her way out, looking around, while Satoru stayed directly where he was the whole time.

"You okay?" Drew asked, turning around to face him in the tiny space.

"Sorry, I'm fine," Satoru whispered, letting go of his shirt finally. Drew took his hand and rubbed his thumb over the other boy's knuckles.

"Try not to take out your anxiety on my shirt next time, okay?"

Satoru blushed a little and gave a quick nod, moving closer to Drew as the blonde let go, edging his way out of the cave.

"The thing is," Mika said the moment the other two joined her, "Last time it rained I was out in it for hours and I didn't melt."

Satoru cringed slightly but Drew blinked, remembering the rain only vaguely.

"Maybe it's a pattern," suggested Satoru almost silently.

"it's only rained twice," Drew added in, shaking his head, "we can't count on that. For now we have to be extra careful as to what we drink and take for cover when it threatens to rain."

"Great. Another water source we can't use. They're trying to dehydrate us, aren't they?" Mika huffed, scratching at the now pink bumps that covered over her arms. Satoru swatted at her hands, frowning and shaking his head.

"Don't scratch, Mikki. Drew what do you think we should do?"

"Oh so now he's the mighty leader, is he?"

"He's giving better suggestions then you are!"

"You're just saying that because you-"

"Enough. Both of you, shut up," Drew chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "I say we find water, fill up and sleep for as long as we can."

"good," Satoru said, countering the No that Mika said at exactly the same time.

"Why not?"

"What if it rains again? The sky is still dark, we might get caught."

"It's a chance we have to take," Satoru nodded, moving over to stand beside Drew.

She grumbled, walking in front of them as they head out again.

"She's grumpy," Drew whispered to Satoru as they walked, biting his lip.

"She hasn't slept in days. Give her a nice cave and a sip of water and she'll be out like a light."

Drew smiled a little and moved so he was walking closer to the smaller teen. His body was still stiff and itchy from the burns, but it wasn't as bad as before.

_okay, _the blonde thought to himself. _Maybe having allies isn't as bad as I assumed. I've got two people watching my back, and I really don't mind hanging around them. Just hope they don't stab you as you sleep now that you're not hurt._

Drew looked over at Satoru who was smiling a little, blabbering on with Mika who was about ten steps ahead of them. He looked calm, and completely harmless. The blonde from District Nine couldn't help but to trust him, and if that brought him to his death then it was his own foolish mistake. He was going to stay with Mika and Satoru as long as he could, no matter what happened. __


	11. Chapter 11

"No, no," Drew shook his head, chuckling a little, "You try it."

Satoru huffed, looking up at the wall of the cave they had moved into. "It's just going to come back and hit me in the face."

"That's why you have to catch it," Drew replied with a smirk, throwing his rock at the wall, catching it as it rebounded back at him. He did it again in a constant pattern as though it was the simplest thing in the world.

Satoru took a deep breath and chucked the stone at the wall, across from him, watching as it fell and jumped a few times towards him, never quite getting back to him.

"Harder, Sat. It's not going to get anywhere if you throw it so gently."

So he tried again, throwing it more forcefully at the wall. It came flying back and he caught it, a small smile on his face. He tried again, fumbling it in his hands when he reached for it that time.

"You throw like a girl," Drew laughed to himself, shaking his head.

"Not everyone has as much… _practice _with theirhands as you do, Mapleton."

"Is that supposed to sound suggestive?"

"Only if you think it does," Satoru said with a smirk, throwing the rock forcefully against the wall. The rain fell quietly outside as the two talked, Mika snoozing silently to Satoru's left. It had been days since they had seen anyone, and days since the trio had had anything to eat. People were dropping out of the games like flies, the cannon sounding almost twice or three times a day.

Eight of them were left. The redheaded girl from District One, The girl from District Two, the boys from Districts Six, Eight and Eleven, and of course, Drew, Mika and Satoru. Drew took every fire of the cannon like a shot through the heart, knowing it would bring him one day closer, one kill closer, until it would be him, Mika and Sat…which will be the most difficult day of his life.

"Hey, Sat?" Drew asked, juggling the rock back and forth between his hands.

"Mhm?"

"What do you miss most about District Three?"

Satoru paused, looking over at a sleeping Mika. "I don't know. I'm not a materialistic person, so I can't say my own bed or my gadgets or anything. Maybe the shower though," he laughed. "I miss my parents, I suppose…but I think…I miss just knowing that I can wake up and go through the day without the fear of being murdered-or the fear of loosing Mika. What about you? You must miss that guy from the reaping."

"Todd?"

"If that's his name."

"I do miss him," Drew mumbled, bringing his knees up to his chest. "He was all I really had back home. He's…my equivalent of a Mika."

"So you want to get out of these games then; for him. Don't mind my asking and please don't laugh at me if I saw it wrong but is he like…your boyfriend?"

Drew smiled a little, shaking his head. "No, no. Best friend. I don't have a boyfriend. I've never had one."

"You got a girlfriend, then?"

Drew raised an eyebrow curiously and shook his head. "Do you?"

Satoru looked down at his feet, letting the rock fall from his hands as he spoke, "no I don't…I don't have a boyfriend, either. If Todd had been chosen, would you have volunteered for him instead?"

"No. We made a deal we wouldn't. I know he wanted to go in for me, I saw it in his face. I-It…it hurt. Having to leave him at the train station knowing that now he had nothing left. That I had nothing left. I didn't want anything to do with these games because they were taking them away from him…but I'm here now, so I'm using my time the best possible way I can."

"How so?" Satoru asked, still watching Mika in her sleep.

"Taking care of you, obviously."

"You don't have to do that," Satoru declared. 

"But I want to."

Satoru looked over at Drew with wide eyes. He had entered these games to take care of Mika and he never assumed that he would be caring about anyone else. 


	12. Chapter 12

"_GET DOWN!" Someone yelled, another fire of the guns in front of them sending the group of young soldiers rushing down to the ground, dirt and mud spitting up around them as bullets landed in the goo. It coated them in a thick layer of chocolatey looking mess. Satoru could hear his own breathing, heavy and hot against his own face as he hid his face with his arms, trying to crawl his way to safety. The war around him was heading into mass chaos, dead bodies covering the ground like weeds._

It began to rain then, the drops of white, unclear water splashing on the ground with a loud sizzle, burning through Satoru's uniform. He could feel the sting of the burns ripping through his skin as he pushed himself off of the ground, dashing for cover in one of the trenches. He jumped with both feet, landing with a loud splash into a deep, deep pile of dark red blood. It drenched through his clothing, sticking to his skin like the mud had as bullets and guns fired around him at a fast pace. But he had to keep moving. He had to get away. He sloshed his way through the blood; searching and looking for someone he couldn't seem to find anywhere. Satoru couldn't remember whom he was searching for, but he desperately needed to find them.

The cannon fired in the distance.

Satoru woke up. 

He blinked his heavy; sleep coated eyes, trying to make sense of the dream that was still playing out in his mind. He was only vaguely aware of his surroundings, everything completely in a blur. The moment his eyes fully opened, he wished they hadn't. 

Mika was pale beside him, completely still and unmoving. His breath hitched in his throat as he tried to make reason of it, telling himself she was asleep, which was a good thing. He reached with shaky hands out to push the hair off of her face, feeling the cold of her skin on his fingers like a pack of ice. Her chest was still. Her eyes were closed. Her skin looked translucent, not a hint of colour anywhere on the girl.

Satoru could hear the hovercraft approaching above him, and it was all too soon for him to process what was happening. Why was the hovercraft here? He looked up. Drew was still asleep. He was still alive, and so was Mika. So why would the hovercraft be coming for them?

"Mikki," he whispered, prodding the girl a little, "Mika check this out, look! It's t-the h-hover…."

He didn't finish his sentence, watching as her head lolled to the side when he touched it. Dried blood coated over her cracked, blue lips. Last night came rushing back to him in a flood, flashing before him like lightning.

No—he wouldn't believe it.

"Mika?" He asked again, sitting up straighter. Satoru shook her arm, poking and pushing at her in a desperate attempt to wake her up. The roof of the cave opened up as though it was never there, the claw from the hovercraft slipping down towards him.

No—she was _alive_.

"_Mika._" Satoru repeated over and over again like a mantra, the seconds passing fast and furious as the claw approached them, dangling directly over Mika.

His mind geared quickly, the sound of the cannon in his dream echoing in his ears like a fire alarm, loud and persistent. Satoru kept shoving at her, using all of his strength. But she lay there, flopping around like a puppet with cut strings, a ragdoll. Satoru wouldn't believe it. He couldn't. His breath quickened, slipping out of his chest in quick, heavy pants, never getting enough air. Tears began to burn at his eyes before he allowed himself to believe what was really, truly happening.

Mika is gone.

Mika is dead.

The second the claw came closer to her, reaching for her body like she was a prize in a carnival game, and the idea hit Satoru like a pound of bricks.

Mika is dead.

"No," he shook his head, body beginning to shake as he grabbed hold of her, wrapping his arms around the dead corpse. "N-No," Satoru said again, his voice getting louder despite his lack of air. "NO. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO." He practically began to scream the word at the claw, tugging the body away, closer to Drew, desperately reaching for him, needing him to help wake her back up, to bring her back.

Drew woke up to the most terrifying sight he had ever seen. Satoru crawled towards him, body shaking, hair plastered to his face in a sweat, hands clasped around the waist of a bloody, thinned out body. _Mika. _He moved before he could truly process what was going on, seeing the desperate look in Satoru's eyes. He reached for him, pulling the two into his arms. The claw moved towards them, and Drew then realized that the bloody, thinned body, Mika's body, was just a corpse.

"Satoru," he said quickly, looking up at the hovercraft above them, "Satoru let go."

He didn't move an inch, clinging on to the girl with a constant stream of tears falling down his face.

"Help," he pleaded, "he-help me w-wake…wake her up."

"Let go," he repeated.

Again, the boy did nothing. So Drew took action, peeling the screaming, shaking boy off of the corpse, holding on to him as he thrashed with all the strength he had.

"LET GO OF ME, DREW LET ME GO! MIKA," Satoru reached his free hand to the body, watching as the claw surrounded her, looking like the teeth of a monster devouring her whole. "MIKA, NO. SHE'S NOT DEAD SHE'S NOT DEAD LET ME GO LET ME GO L-LET ME GO NOW!"

Drew clawed his fingers into the boy's skin, keeping him there to the absolute best of his ability. There was nothing they could do now—she was gone. Gone for good. That happened in the games, you lost people. Families across Panem had already gone through the treacherous pain of watching someone they loved die, watching them be stabbed or poisoned or burned. It was hard, but that's how this went. Drew had already lost his parents, watched his family die right before him. He hated it, but there was nothing he could do. So he held on with all of his might, trying to prove to Satoru that he still had someone there, someone to hold him, to comfort him, to keep him from doing something downright idiotic.

"WHY WONT YOU LET ME GO?" Satoru screamed in a shrill voice, shoving his elbows back into Drew's chest.

"SHE'S GONE, SATORU," Drew said in a broken voice, only tightening his grip despite the boy's pleas.

"NO, STOP! STOP!" Satoru shook wildly as he pleaded, scratching at Drew's arms, shoving his shoulders and arms into him in a desperate attempt to get free of his grip. His eyes never left the claw as it pulled Mika up from the arena, the top of the cave closing like nothing had ever happened.

Finally, Drew released Satoru, his body aching with pain. His arms were red, scratch marks covering over him like he had just been attacked by one of the Game maker's creatures. Satoru sprung up from Drew's grasp, running towards the outside of the cave, looking up at the sky with a loud, strangled noise.

Mika was gone.

"Mika?" He asked, his voice quiet and broken, barely a whisper of the word audible to Drew, who quickly showed up behind him.

"Satoru-" he began to say, interrupted by the sob that ripped through the Tribute's chest.

He fell to his knees, legs shaking too violently to allow him to stand. His whole world ended right here. Mika was dead, and he no longer had any reason to live. Nothing. Satoru's vision blurred by the tears covering over his eyes, no longer falling, just staying in annoying little pools over his eyes. Sobs sounded with every breath he took, his eyes never leaving the bright blue, sunny sky. 

Drew ignored his urge to cry, slowly moving to sit directly behind the boy. He wouldn't touch him, or even acknowledge the fact that he was there. Drew would just sit and wait until the boy wanted him. Satoru looked like he had been ripped apart from the inside, his shaking body looking small and vulnerable beneath the fabric of his clothing. It pained the blonde to see him like this, to know he had to go through a pain no one deserved to deal with.

"Mika…" he finally croaked, hands clenched into fists. "M-Mika."

"Sat, there is nothing you can do…"

"They did this to her. THEY DID THIS. THEM." He shouted, standing up and pointing towards the sun. "THEY MURDERED HER. MURDER. IT'S ALL THEIR FUCKING FAULT."

Drew flinched when he began to yell, watching with wide blue eyes as he stood, pacing around in a small circle, fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned a ghostly shade of white. Satoru let out a strangled noise, kicking madly at the side of the cave.

"Satoru, please stop," Drew whispered, feeling completely empty.

"Not until they bring her back," he growled, grabbing a rock by the side of the cave almost too big for him to lift, and threw it at the ground, having a tantrum rivaled by none other.

"S-" Drew tried to speak, standing up and quickly moving over to Satoru. He was going to hurt himself if he kept on like this.

"GIVE HER BACK." He shouted loudly, rubbing at his nose with the back of his hand. "SHE'S NOT YOURS TO TAKE!" With that he stomped his foot to the ground, tugging his hand roughly through his messy mop of hair.

Another sob.

"Please...? M-Mika…please….j-just come back. J-Just….let me…say goodbye," Satoru turned to Drew then, face and eyes a dark red, tear tracks covering over his cheeks and bottom lip trembling, making him look way too young to ever even have been in the Hunger Games.

"Satoru I'm sorry," Drew whispered, taking a step towards him.

"No you're not," he spit at him, charging towards him with his hands out, shoving him backwards. "You didn't even KNOW her!"

"That doesn't mean I didn't care!" Drew stumbled back, letting him take out all of his anger on him, urging himself to not fight back.

"IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU SHE WOULD BE ALIVE RIGHT NOW. SHE WOULD HAVE LISTENED TO ME. HOW DARE YOU TELL HER SHE COULD DRINK THAT, HOW DARE YOU!"

The blonde Tribute from District Nine froze, starring at Satoru with wide, terrified eyes.

"IT'S YOUR FAULT SHE'S DEAD. I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU," each word he emphasized with another shove, pushing the blonde against the wall of the cave. Drew hissed, his back hitting against the rocks with a jolt of pain, his face a pale white._ It was his fault. Satoru hated him. Mika was dead_. Each fact ran through his brain, being filed away and kept deep within himself, the truth ringing in each fact. But Drew wished none of this were real.

Satoru continued to yell, Drew starring blankly at him like he wasn't really there, just taking each insult, each hateful comment and the blame with as little offense as he could, keeping in mind his promise to Mika to protect him.

But, Drew definitely wasn't expecting when the smaller boy collapses against him in a fit of hysterics, clutching on to his shirt, sobbing and whimpering, crying and pleading for his Mika to come back. Slowly, Drew wrapped his arms around him, feeling as Satoru's knees gave out on him. He held him up, tangling one hand into his hair.

"She's gone," he said, "she's gone…s-she's gone…she's gone….she's g-gone…"

With a nod, Drew slid down against the wall of the cave, ignoring the painful feel of the rocks digging into his skin. He hit the ground, pulling Satoru closer and into his arms. He held him there, rocking him back and forth in a silent attempt to try and calm him as he sobbed.

"They took her," he whispered hoarsely into the skin of Drew's neck, clinging on to him like he was a life preserver. "They took my M-Mikki a-away from me…"

"I know," Drew said, unable to give any words of encouragement or comfort. "I'm here."

Satoru pressed his forehead into the crook of the taller boy's neck, trying desperately to breathe.

"She's gone," he repeated.

"I know."

"I want her back."

"I'm sorry."

"Wh-where did they take her?"

"I don't know," Drew whispered to him, loosening his grip slightly to run his hand up and down Satoru's back, trying to soothe him from the shaking.

"Dead…"

"I'm here for you," Drew said quickly, instinctively pressing a kiss to the top of the boy's head, "I'm right here, I wont let you go I promise. I'm so, so sorry, but I'm right here, i-I've got you, I'm trying…"

He said the words, but District Nine knew they were never going to be enough. He would never be Mika, so there was no way he could help the boy he held in his arms. The shaking began to subside after a long time of Drew's attempted comforting, Satoru clinging on to the blonde as he held him close, his forehead pressed down to the top of the smaller one's head. They were completely wrapped around each other, Drew covering over Satoru like he was trying to hide him from the rest of Panem, keep him safely away from any harm.

"Please," Satoru forced out, the word sounding almost painful to speak as it left his raw throat, "please just…"

Drew shushed him, whispering quietly into his ear. "I'm right here, I wont let go until you tell me to."

"Don't. Please."

"I wont," he agreed, moving Satoru slightly so he could see his face. His usually soft features were now coated in red blotches, stained from his tears. His eyes were heavy; looking back at Drew with an expression so painful it almost broke Drew's heart. "I'd bring her back in a heartbeat if I could, Satoru. I'd trade myself in for her…a life for a life."

Silence filled the space between them for a moment, Satoru's still shaky hand picking at the fabric of Drew's shirt. "N-No."

"Yeah, I would," Drew repeated himself, not exactly sure when he had made that decision. If they were being watched right then, Drew knew that Todd would have frowned at that. But he couldn't lie to Satoru. He wanted him to be happy, to be strong enough to get out of these games alive. That, and of course the fact that Mika was someone Drew trusted, and the list of those people was extremely short.

"I wouldn't let you," Satoru admitted almost silently, leaning completely against Drew. Someone could easily have found the two and gotten them both dead in that moment, but they were both so completely oblivious to the outside world. Satoru needed Drew in that moment more then anything, and nothing would keep the blonde from being there for him.

"what?" Drew asked.

"I wont loose you like I lo-….lost….." he swallowed, trying to force the words out. "Lost her. I need you now."

Drew nodded a little, pushing the hair up out of the other's face. "I'll take care of you, I promised Mika I would. And I will."

Satoru willed himself not to cry simply at the sound of her name. She was long gone by now, completely at the will of the Capitol, her body being prepared to send back to District Three. "She's gone, Drew."

"I'm so sorry, I wish she wasn't."

"She's….she's not….she's not coming back, is she?"

Drew shook his head slightly, hugging the boy back against his chest. Satoru pressed his face into Drew's chest, a few stray tears falling. He felt empty, broken. The whole point of him being here was to keep her safe, and there was nothing he could do to save her when the time came. It was all the Game Makers, they wanted her gone, and so she was.

"I…a-all I wanted," Satoru mumbled into the fabric of the other's shirt, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist. "All I…I….I just….w-wanted…to…to say good bye to her."

"Then say good bye," Drew mumbled, pressing his nose to Sat's cheek.

The Volunteer Tribute from District Three, now the only Tribute from District Three, glanced up at the blonde and an eerie silence passed between them. The air was completely still, sun pounding down on their backs. It was hot, way too hot. This was literally hell.

Satoru took a deep, rattling breath and looked away from Drew, clutching on to him with all of his strength as he looked back into the cave, seeing Mika's jacket, water bottle and the puddles of blood dried to the rock. He began to shake again, Drew instantly tightening his grip and calming him as he licked his lips, trying to force the words out that he so desperately needed to say.

There was nothing either of them could do to stop the tears that began again, slipping off of Satoru's cheeks and landing onto Drew's shoulder, leaving darker patches of black on his shirt.

"Mika," he whispered, her name falling difficultly from his lips. "I'm so sorry I couldn't…I couldn't save you. I tried so hard, I tried everything I could. I want you back, Mikki. I'm going to miss you…you were everything I had, and I love you."

He had to stop himself as he lip trembled, tears slipping quicker down his nose.

"I'll miss you every single day. You deserved to win t-these games…you should have won the games. It should be you here, alive, and not me. Mika, I'll miss you…g-g…"

Drew felt a tear fall down his own cheek, unable to stop himself as he pulled the smaller boy closer, trying to help him through this.

"Goodbye, Mika," he finally whispered, resting his head down on Drew's shoulder, the only person he had left. 


	13. Chapter 13

The days passed slowly, Drew and Satoru eating whatever they could find. Squirrels, the rouge plant, some animal cub they had found prowling around the mountains. Water was harder to find, there only being two different sources of water that they had found henceforth in the games. But even then, it was extremely difficult to convince Satoru to drink anything, let alone eat. He was traumatized, and Drew practically had to shove food into his mouth if he wanted him to eat. The numbers were falling faster, seven people left.

Drew, District Nine. Satoru, District Three. Lucy, District One. Justin, District Six. Dwight, District Eight. Bailey, District Seven. And Adam, District Eleven.

Drew had always kept close track, wanting to know exactly whom he would be facing when the time came. He sat quietly outside of their cave in front of a pile of twigs, smashing his flint against a piece of rock, watching as the sparks would fly. He licked his dry lips, using the back of his hand to shove the hair up off of his face. Satoru would be back any minute; he had been gone too long. Drew and him had made a deal over the last few days. If it took either of them longer than what felt like an hour to return, the other had all rights to go and find them.

But like clockwork, Satoru returned to Drew. In his hand he clutched his jacket, and Mika's bottle filled to the brim with fresh spring water. The blonde wanted to jump up and grab the bottle, drink it completely dry. He wouldn't, though. He would wait for Satoru to do his testing, make sure it was perfectly safe. It hadn't rained in days, as though the Capitol was mocking them. _We got what we wanted. You're safe now. _

"Hey," Drew nodded towards him, trying to make the sparks catch to the twigs.

"I already tested it," he mumbled back, voice still sounding like he was barely holding on to life. He shoved the bottle at Drew; his eyes locked somewhere far off in the distance. He wasn't the same, and it killed Drew. He took the bottle, sipping from it silently as the other sat down.

"I heard the cannon fire," Satoru said.

Six people left. They started interviews with the families once they got to five people. Drew wondered if they would interview anyone for him. Maybe Todd.

"I wonder who it was," Drew said quietly, nursing the small flame that had finally caught.

"To be honest I could care less. Just one step closer to getting out of this hell hole."

Drew chuckled sadly, wondering exactly what he meant by that. He wanted Satoru to win, so he could get out. So his family could have him, so he could at least get something good from these games. But that would mean his own death. Was Satoru really ready to loose another person? Or, would he sacrifice himself.

Drew hoped it was the first option. He didn't ever want to go through loosing Satoru. The sky around them way a dark blue, turning darker and darker by the moment. They wouldn't be able to keep their fire long, someone could easily see it like this. But for now the flame brought the two heat. Recently, the Maker's had been cooling it down drastically at night, almost to the point of freezing over the arena.

"I want you to know something," Drew mumbled, warming his hands over the fire as he looked at Satoru.

"What?"

"I want you to win," he said simply; ready to continue when he noticed Satoru already shaking his head.

"Don't say that, please. You know what that entitles. I don't…I couldn't handle dealing with loosing you, too."

"I'm nothing important to you, Satoru."

"Yes," he nodded, "you are. You're everything now, all I have left."

Drew frowned, turning completely to face the boy. His hands reached towards him, and Satoru instantly took them, grasping on to him tightly. 

"You have your family to think about," Drew reminded him, rubbing his thumb over his knuckles.

"So do you!" Satoru sighed, looking at the fire. "I'm not saying I'm giving up. Besides, we can't exactly choose who does and doesn't get out of these games alive. We can't…if we could choose, Mika would still be here."

"I know," he murmured, shuffling closer to the boy. "Trust me I know that, Sat, but…I don't…if I could choose, I'd want you to get out of here. You deserve the chance to live more than anyone else in here. You're the only one who chose to do this on your own will."

"And look where that got me."

The blonde looked down at the rock ground, tightening his grip on the other's hands. A small sigh escaped his lips as he heard what was being said, realizing how difficult the rest of The Games would be for him—a never ending, constant battle of choice. The choice of life or death…saving him, or saving himself. He would save Satoru in a heartbeat if he knew that he would actually want to be saved, but right now, Drew wasn't so sure. 

"Look, Drew," Satoru whispered, looking up at the blonde with a sad expression, "I care about you."

"That doesn't matter…"

"Let me talk," he huffed. "I care about you. I cared about M…her. I shouldn't let myself get attached to you, but I can't help it. Either way I'm hurting myself here. Either physically, or emotionally. I win, you die. You win, I die. But when…when we met, I had no idea what was going to happen to Mika, so I let myself get attached to you. It wasn't a mistake, though. I like you. You make me laugh and I know I trust you."

Drew nodded slowly, not too sure where he was going with any of this.

"I know Todd is your everything, but I want to be your _something_."

"What do you mean?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I want to…keep our alliance. But I also want you to know that you're my friend now…well, you already were. But, I want you to know it. You mean the world to me, Drew; you're all I have left. Loosing you would hurt me, lots. And I know y-you…you promised her you would keep me safe. I just want to be more than someone you know won't kill you. I want you to think of me as your…friend."

The blonde moved to say something, words crashing together in a mixed up traffic jam before he could actually get them out. Of course Satoru was his friend, of course he trusted him.

"I thought we already were friends," he finally spat out.

Two things happened simultaneously. Satoru moved forward, pulling Drew into a hug, when an arrow went zooming passed them, right where the Tribute had been two seconds earlier.

Drew jumped up instantly, tugging Satoru into the cave. He could hear the person loading another bow, and fast, so he grabbed his dagger and shoved Satoru to the floor of the cave. He ran out again, seeing a brown mess of hair, a tall, lean person and an arrow being shot directly at his chest. He crouched down; the arrow flying right passed his shoulder as he charged towards him. The person saw him coming and moved quicker, trying to catch Drew.

District Three was faster. He rammed directly into the person's body, knocking them to the ground. For a second, Drew thought he had power, that he could stab the person and be done with it, when his opponent, Adam, from District Eleven, stabbed him in the shoulder with an arrow.

Drew let out a groan of pain, handicapped long enough for Adam to flip them over, punching the blonde in the jaw.

Satoru watched from the mouth of the cave for a moment, scared to move, until he saw Drew loose his control. Satoru ran towards him, not a clue what he was doing, and shoved desperately at Adam, trying to force him off Drew. The person growled then, turning away from Drew to shove Satoru onto the ground, knocking the wind out of him.

"I saw your little friend died," he growled at him, lifting him up slightly by his shirt only to slam him back down against the ground. "I hope she was murdered."

Satoru tried to fight back against the person who was twice his size, but there was nothing he could do. His body slammed back against the rock ground, head pounding hard from the impact with the ground. He kicked his legs up, pushing and shoving at him with all the strength he had, fighting for a breath.

Drew tried to move his jaw, a cry of pain falling from his lips as he moved over to Satoru, dagger clenched in hand. Drew ignored the pain as he grabbed hold of the other Tribute and pushed him to the ground directly beside Satoru, climbing right on top of him.

"Don't you dare touch him," Drew practically shouted at him, pressing the heel of his hand down against the boy's throat, cutting off his airline. Satoru stayed frozen in his spot, gasping for air and rubbing his head as he looked over at Drew just in time to see the other Tribute spit into Drew's face.

That's when Drew had had enough. He took his dagger, stabbing it down into his stomach. Blood flooded out from the Tribute along with an agonized scream of pain and Satoru had to look away. He covered his eyes, images of Mika flashing back in front of him.

He could see nothing, but Satoru could hear as Drew removed the dagger, stabbing it back into the body. This time, it was to the heart.

Drew watched as the person took one final breath, the cannon shooting in the distance. He let go of the dagger with bloody hands, using the back of his hands to wipe off his face. He took deep, shaky breaths as he moved off of the body, pulling out the dagger.

Five people were left. 

The dagger clattered onto the rock ground as Drew let of it, looking at Satoru. He sat shaking by the mouth of the cave, eyes wide and terrified as Drew took even a step towards him. Drew cringed at the sight, knowing Satoru must have been terrified to see what he has just done.

"Satoru, I-" he began to apologize, interrupted by the other's quiet whisper.

"The blood," Satoru said, and it was all the explanation Drew needed.

The blood from Adam's dead body created large pools of blood that grew larger and larger by the second. The spread out towards Satoru, the boy trying desperately to get away from it, reminded of Mika—the day before she died. Drew moved at lightning speed, shoving his dagger, the water bottle, Mika's jacket, his own jacket and the flint into his bag before flinging it up over his stinging shoulder.

"Come on," Drew reached a hand out to him, tugging him off of the ground. Satoru blinked, slightly confused as he took the hand, letting Drew drag him away from their campsite. He could hear the hovercraft approaching in the background and a shiver ran up his spine, bad memories taking over his mind. Satoru clutched on to Drew's hand a little tighter, following him through the now dark arena. He had no idea where he was going, but he followed willingly. 

After about an hour of walking, the two finally stopped. There was a small dugout in the side of a mountain, just big enough for them to crawl into. They'd have to squish if they wanted to fit, but it was the best they had. The anthem played, symbolizing the end of another day in the Hunger Games, and Drew wondered how long they had been in there. He had lost count.

Bailey's face, the Tribute from District Seven, appeared on the screen before Adam's, and then the sky went black again.

"Drew?" Satoru asked, crawling out from there tiny little hole of a cave.

"Yeah?" Drew replied, looking over his shoulder at him.

"C-Come…h-here? Lay with me? Please? I-I don't feel…so great."

Drew frowned a little, his arm stiff and pained, but he moved over to Satoru nonetheless. "What's wrong?"

"My head hurts," he whispered, instantly crawling into Drew's arms when he moved to him, needing the comfort.

"Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine…"

Drew moved into the small cave, holding Satoru close. He gently played with his hair; trying everything he could to calm him. That's how they stayed most of the time now, with Drew holding on to Satoru, trying his best to calm him. The Games were getting to him, tormenting him in his dreams. The day after Mika died, Satoru confessed to Drew that he needed something to hold on to when he slept, and since then Drew has become his personal pillow.

Satoru held on to him tightly, trying his best not to let his imagination take over. It was always something. Some nights he'd be dreaming of his own death, and others Mika's. But one night it was Drew's, and it was a great comfort to wake up and realize that he was right there—alive and breathing.

"Are you sure you're fine?" Drew mumbled, feeling as the smaller one's body started to shake a little.

"Cold."

Drew ran his hand up and down the Tribute's back, trying his best to warm him up. He could faintly hear something in the distance and turned his head to look back out towards no mans land, seeing the shiny silver fabric of the parachute tops.

_But why was it so big?_ He wondered, nudging Satoru and whispering him to look over there. Satoru yawned, rubbing his eyes as he saw exactly what Drew had seen. He crawled out of their cavern, reaching for the package...that was incredibly squishy. He turned back to find Drew directly behind him, a curious expression on his face.

"It feels…soft."

Drew chuckled, not sure why he did, and ripped the corner of the package open. He grinned when he realized what it was and pulled out the soft, fleece blanket.

"It _is _soft," he said.

A small gasp escaped Satoru's lips when he caught sight of what Drew was holding. Drew unwrapped the blanket and two small coloured candies fell to the ground, causing both of the Tributes to get incredibly confused. Satoru bent down and picked them up, tilting his head to the side.

"What the hell?" he asked, trying to see what was written on the two candy hearts. When Drew saw what they were he chuckled a bit, remembering how when he was younger, he would buy them from the store with Todd with the money he would have made that day at work.

"They're hearts," Drew mumbled, taking one from Satoru. He squinted to read the faded writing, seeing the classic 'Be mine' printed on one, and the word love on the other. Without telling Satoru what one said, he popped it in his mouth, handing the other to Satoru.

"Who would give us hearts…and why?" Satoru curiously asked, examining the heart.

"Who cares," Drew mumbled, having theories of his own. This was probably Arianne's work, she would be the only one who knew about anything related to his past. She was hinting to him most likely that being cute or romantic would lead to treats. Literally. "We got this," he said with a chuckle, unfolding the blanket the rest of the way to wrap it around Satoru's shoulders, pulling him closer by it.

He smiled, just slightly, and Drew bit his lip, glad he did. It had been forever since he had seen that, and he hoped to see the smile again, and soon. Drew wanted to test this theory, see if what he assumed from the hearts was correct.

"Come on," Satoru whispered, pulling the blanket away from Drew and off of his shoulders, rolling it into a ball as he crawled into the cave. Drew followed, lying flat down on the ground. He turned his head to look out at the empty rock area by them when he felt Satoru curl up beside him, trying to get the blanket over them both. When they were covered, Drew felt Satoru's head flop down onto his chest, pressing his face into the fabric of his shirt.

"Sleep," Drew whispered, trying to give more of the blanket to Satoru apposed to himself.

"Stop talking and maybe I'll be able to," Satoru responded, eliciting a chuckle from Drew who closed his eyes, yawning a little.

It was barely minutes before the two were asleep, completely wrapped up and warm in the heat of the blanket and being so close to each other. Satoru moved closer then, the candy heart still clenched in his fists with the words 'Be Mine' staining into the palm of his hand. 


	14. Chapter 14

"Are you ready?" Satoru asked quietly, nudging Drew with the toe of his boot. The blonde sat cross-legged on the ground, eyes firmly stuck on the ground. He traced his finger over the rock as though he was drawing something there. A map.

"Yeah," Drew nodded, licking his lips. "Are you?"

"Well I don't really have much else I need to do," the older chuckled, awkwardly moving Drew's backpack higher up on his shoulders. It was filled to the brim now. Stuffed relentlessly now with the blanket they had received as well. Drew had been testing his theory over the last few days, and it seemed as though he was catching on to something. When he hugged Satoru, they would get rolls from District Nine. They kind Drew used to smell baking on his way to school every morning. Just the thought of them would make his mouth water. If they talked for long enough about a deep subject, again, the little parachute would fall from nowhere, landing at their feet.  
_  
Someone somewhere wanted them together._

Drew stood from his spot, picking up his dirty jacket from inside their cavern before he nodded, symbolizing to Satoru that he was ready to move. Today was the day they needed to get to the other side of the arena, or at least as far as they could go. Food was so scarce, the two had been relying on the small amount of meat they could pick off the bones of rodents they'd find crawling around in the rocks. Either one of them would literally have killed for the feasts back on the train.

"Lets go," Drew spoke quietly, taking the lead. The plan was simple. They would walk along the edge of the woods for shade, not going in too deep. If they went towards the center of the woods, the chances of running into the Career Tributes near the Cornucopia was far too risky. Though the food would be nice.

The heat was unbearable. Within minutes, Satoru had the water bottle pulled out, taking small, measly sips of the warm liquid. They had learned to ration, spreading the water for as long as they could. Luckily the warmth was getting increasingly humid, suggesting it may rain again soon. The downfall to that, of course, was that it could be acidic rain again. But even if it was, it cooled down the arena.

"You know what I realized?" Satoru asked, glancing up at Drew.

"What?"

"This whole time," he began to say, a small smile spreading across his face, "we have been being watched."

"Okay?" Drew asked, raising an eyebrow. Obviously they were being watched, that was the whole point of the games—they were a show to be broadcasted across Panem for the citizens to 'enjoy'.

"Every word we say. They know as much about us as we know about each other."

"And now they know that," Drew smirked.

"And this."

"So they know that we know that they know _what_ we know."

"I know," Satoru replied.

They both chuckled, walking across the dry rock in no-mans-land. Things had gotten easier between them, ebbing and flowing almost as naturally as breathing. Drew never failed to notice how Satoru had changed since Mika's death, but in a weird, twisted way, it had brought them closer. The nights they had were spent talking, days filled with hunting, travelling, climbing, laughing and joking. It was almost like having a roommate. Someone you lived with day in, day out, and got to know very well.

A friend, even. But Drew wouldn't call him that. He knew it was different.

Satoru used the back of his hand to push the hair off of his face. It stuck up in little tufts, almost looking like the down feathers on a baby bird. The blonde stole glances every few minutes, taking detailed mental pictures of how the other would lick his bottom lip before biting it, or how he always blinked twice at a time. Drew noticed how his bottom eyelashes were unusually long and dark black, like a painter's ink. But Satoru wasn't blind; he could feel Drew's eyes on him. It made him feel almost self-conscious to know someone was watching him that intently.

But in end, wasn't that the original plan? Get Drew to fall for him. Get sponsors. Satoru was wondering recently if he had done what he was supposed to, if Drew had really fallen for him. But the most troubling thing for Satoru was that he hadn't been trying at all. He honestly liked being around Drew, this wasn't just a play for more sponsors.

After hours of walking, the two finally made their way to the forest. Slipping into the shade, they both let out relieved sighs, taking a moment to finally breathe. As the stopped, Drew pulled his dagger out of the bag, just in case, and held it tightly in his grip. Satoru always stayed directly at his side when they weren't in a cave. There was nothing that was going to make them loose each other now. A twig cracked a little further into the woods and Drew flinched, grabbing on to Satoru's arm protectively.

"Drew." Satoru rolled his eyes.

"Shut up," Drew whispered, pulling him away from the noise.

"Drew but it's-"

"Shh," Drew reached his hand over and covered the boy's mouth with his hand, trying to sneak away before they could get caught.

"Mmabrmph!" Satoru argued, pointing with his free hand towards the woods again. Drew glanced over and saw a fluff of white bouncing towards them. His hand fell, a blush spreading across his cheeks. He dropped his hand off of Satoru's face, chuckling awkwardly. 

"IT'S A RABBIT," Satoru huffed at him, shoving him away with a small smile. "Pay attention next time."

Drew chuckled again, scratching the back of his head as he watched the thing bounce around, snapping another twig. "It could be a very dangerous rabbit."

"Oh yeah," Satoru laughed, "demon bunny. Admit it, you were _worried_."  
"Of course I was," Drew nodded, already walking ahead again. "You really think I'd take time to think like that if someone was really coming after us? You think I'd let anyone touch you? No. Not even a bunny. So be glad you've got me around to protect you, you ungreatfull-"

Satoru paused, watching Drew for a moment before he ran up to him, tackling him in a hug. "Shh," he giggled, pressing his face into the taller one's back. "Thank you…you're the best demon-bunny protector out there."

"Glad to see I'm appreciated," Drew smiled, reaching his arms back to try and hug the smaller one. Neither moved for a minute, the hug lasting a lot longer then what normal people would consider friendly. With a clearing of his throat, Drew released the other, walking forward still. "Come on," he said quietly, "We've got a long way to go still."

Satoru, still smiling, walked in front of him, talking quietly about anything and everything. The time passed quicker that way, the two of them chatting like it was a walk in the park, not a walk that could end their lives. The afternoon brought cooler air, and a small cover of clouds that covered over the sun, keeping the two refreshed and encouraged to keep going. By the time they got out of the forest again on the other side, they were much closer to the other side of the arena then they had supposed.

The sight before them was slightly unexpected, however. The grass and dirt kept going, trees dotting the landscape here and there, with beaten down tracks leading in five different directions. It was a meadow, almost. But one that was not yet in bloom. Just the grass. Off in the distance, there was one larger mountain that was almost twice the size of any on the other side. Another patch of forest was to the right, deep and dense.

"Oh," Satoru blinked, twice, and looked around, unsure of where to go. There would be complete protection if they went to the mountain. That's what they were used to. But it could only barely be seen in the distance—at least an hour's walk. The two were exhausted, feet aching and eyes heavy.

"What do you want to do?" Drew questioned Satoru, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He looked around, nodding towards the mountain. "I think it's our safest bet."

"I say we rest for awhile then, okay? Just for an hour or so. We've got the rolls from yesterday, and still a lot of water."

"Yeah," Satoru grabbed hold of Drew's hand then, out of total instinct, and dragged him towards the other forest, his hand slightly shaking out of nervousness. He had no idea where they were or what they were going to face, and it scared him. Drew's hand was warm and instantly wrapped back around his, holding it tightly to try and prevent the shaking.

"Don't worry, Sat," Drew tried to calm him, walking close to his side, "remember nothing or no one is going to hurt you with me around." 

"Then please stay around," Satoru murmured, turning his hand just slightly to lace his fingers in between Drew's. The blonde didn't object, simply walking slowly and calmly with the other, heading into the woods. It was darker inside. The chirping of birds was loud and persistent, the ground muddy beneath their feet. It was such a contrast to the other side of the arena, and Drew wondered if this mud could mean that they were close to water, or if it was just more rain.

They set up a pile of wood behind a thicket of bushes, lighting a small fire with Mika's flint. They took the last three rolls out of the bottom of their bag, splitting the last in half so they both had some. The fire was warm, not large enough to do anything but just give off a slight heat and glow, but it was comforting.

Satoru leaned into Drew's side, taking small bites out of his roll. He felt safer here then out in the meadow, but it still wasn't enough. They'd have no protection if it began to rain. But for now, curled up with Drew in the small little area of grass, Satoru was calm. District Nine finished off his half of a roll, wrapping one arm around the other's shoulders as he took a drink of the warm water. He would love to have a cold drink. It felt as though everything about this arena was warm; the fire, the air, the water…all except for the night, which was almost freezing. But it was getting dark now, the sky a light purple, and the cold would come quickly. They would need their jackets again, maybe even the blanket.

"There is one upside to all of this," Drew mumbled, breaking the silence.

"Oh?"

"Think about it. If I had never gotten picked, if you had never volunteered…I would have forever been stuck in District Nine…you in Three."

"Yeah, well obviously," Satoru looked up at Drew, leaning more against him. He slipped his hand around the blonde, hugging him close as he got colder.

"We would never have met then, right?"

"Right," the smaller nodded a little with a frown, "but that could be good and bad."

"Why do you think that?" Drew blinked, tightening his arm around the other.

"We're just going to loose each other. I-I know you don't want me thinking about that, but it's only the truth. Eventually we'll be separated…and sooner then I'd like. They wont let anyone out of this hell hole until one…or both of us…are dead."

"What would be different if you knew we both could get out of here? I personally am glad I met you. Even if this doesn't end well, this is always going to be one of the best parts of my…well, my everything," he paused for barely a second before continuing, "you. And nothing can take that away from me."

Satoru couldn't think. He wouldn't allow himself to loose Drew. But the blonde was right, and Satoru couldn't ignore that. Drew was going to always be something to Satoru, no matter the outcome of these games. Finally, after a long, heavy silence, Satoru looked over at his friend and mumbled "What would you do differently if _you _knew we were both going to get out of here alive?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah."

"I'd…" Drew began to say, obviously conflicted by his words. "Well I'd let myself…I'd…"

"Come on, it's just me. You can tell me," Satoru looked up at the blonde, head resting on his shoulder.

"I'd let myself…u-uh…"

"Drew," he chuckled, nudging him. "Oh please it can't be that bad."

Drew took a deep breath; not looking at the smaller one that he was continuously pulling closer. "I'd let myself fall for you. Really, honestly fall for you."

The District Three Tribute was not expecting that. He looked at Drew with a dark red blush, eyes wide and confused. "What do you mean? Like…like…_like_ me?"

"I think," Drew swallowed away his nervousness, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

"Well," Satoru whispered, smiling just faintly. "It seems as though I'm doing that regardless."

Drew's entire life changed right then. Satoru liked him, it seemed, and that made everything different. What was he to do now? He wanted to protect Satoru, he promised Mika he would. But knowing that he liked him made it almost impossible for Drew not to like him back.

_Why shouldn't i?_ Drew asked himself. _This is it. This is all we have left. Why not make the absolute best of it? You'll regret it if you just let this pass, Drew…and how much more regret in your life can you really handle? _

Drew turned his gaze then to look at Satoru, internally convincing himself that this was what was supposed to happen. He knew he wanted to like Satoru back, in fact, he did. It was just his brain that was begging him not to, finding the reason and truth in the situation that Drew wanted to ignore. So, he did ignore it. He ignored it completely, the thoughts slipping from his mind the closer he got to Satoru. Every single one of his original plans had changed over the last few weeks, so why not go ahead and break his final rule?

Satoru blushed more as he watched Drew, eyes locked on his. A comfortable silence had filled the space between them as Drew inched closer, eyes darting down to look at Satoru's lips. With barely any space between them, Drew finally closed the distance.

He pressed his lips to Satoru's softly, every tension he had had henceforth instantly disappearing. His free hand moved up to rest on the other boy's cheek, keeping him there. Satoru smiled a little, grabbing onto the fabric of Drew's shirt to hold him close, finally feeling complete for the first time since Mika had left. The kiss was warm, comforting, perfect, and exactly what the two had wanted for so, so long.

When Drew finally pulled back, barely an inch away, Satoru let out a small chuckle, his cheeks dark red. Their lips still ghosted together, foreheads pressed close, as they stayed completely still.

"We…we can't stay here much longer," Drew whispered finally, brushing a bit of hair back off Satoru's face.

"One more?" He mumbled, tugging Drew closer. He pressed their lips back together, slipping one hand up into Drew's curls. The blonde obliged, kissing him back with everything he had, not wanting to let go.

Both of them ignored the silver parachutes that landed at their feet from out of nowhere, completely wrapped up in each other's arms. The two stayed there for the rest of the night, talking and laughing and stealing kisses whenever they could. If it was going to be the last few nights of their lives, why not have them be the best? 


	15. Chapter 15

"_Can you hear me?"_

"You're clear. Stop fidgeting with it, it'll fall off."

"Oh," he chuckled, the sound far from happy, moving his hands away from the microphone on his shirt.

"We're rolling in three…two…" the camera man mouthed one, pointing at the speaker with bright orange hair who stood beside the tall, lanky teenager. 

"_Hello," the interviewer said with a smile, her teeth an unnaturally bright white and pointed slightly at the ends. Lips a dark maroon and stretched over her teeth too tightly. Todd shifted in his seat, smiling uncomfortably at the interviewer._

"Todd Hendricks, I'm Freya Morgan, how are you?" She asked, all too politely.

"Okay," was all he could say.

"You're friends with Drew Mapleton, is that correct?"

"Yeah," Todd mumbled, trying his absolute hardest not to cringe at the name.

"How long would you say you've known him."

Todd paused, licking his dry lips. His clammy hands shook slightly in his lap, uncomfortable around this vibrant woman. He tapped his mud-coated shoe against the ground, shrugging his shoulders. "Years. Maybe eight or nine. I don't know."

"You're close?"

"Obviously," Todd mumbled. "How could we not be?"

"How do you know him?" The interviewer asked, her smile twitching slightly from how long she had been holding it.

"My parents take care of him."

"Where are his pare-"

"He doesn't say," Todd interrupted. "I don't have a clue."

"How do you feel about the recent developments in the game?"

"Which ones," Todd asked with a weak smile, an awkward chuckle escaping his lips. "Lots has happened."

"Between Drew and District Three."

"I give my kindest regards to the Kogo family for loosing their daughter," he said seriously, getting quite an odd look from both the camera man and the reporter. "And I'm…glad Drew's happy, I suppose."

"What do you think about him and…" she glanced towards the prompter ontop of the camera, "Satoru?"

"They're happy, I think. I hope so, at least."

"You're not jealous?"

"This interview is about him, not about me," Todd spit out through clenched teeth, holding his hands tightly together in his lap, the knuckles on both fists going white.

"But all of Panem wants to know. Todd Hendricks, are you jealous of the recent developments between their doomed relationship?"

"They aren't doomed," Todd huffed, not wanting to think of either of the two options. Either Drew would come home, depressed, tortured, and lonely, or he wouldn't come home at all. "And what developments?"

"The kiss?"

He paused, looking up at the interviewer. "I missed that." 

_She smirked a little, a mysterious glint in her eyes. "I sense a little resentment towards the District Three Volunteer, don't you?" She asked, looking towards the camera._

"Shock, maybe. Jealous, no. I just want him to be careful."

"Well," Freya chuckled, "he's a final five, that's being careful!"

"That's pure luck," Todd said, shaking his head, looking back down at his hands. "I just don't want to loose him, but I don't want him to loose the happiness."

"It's a loose, loose situation, isn't it Todd? Well, things are certainly getting interesting! Could you tell us a little about Drew?"

"Like what?" Todd mumbled, down with this interview.

"What's his biggest weakness? Do you think he'll get to the end?" 

"_He never gives up," Todd whispered, worrying his lip between his teeth for almost a complete minute before he could continue to answer the question. "If he's in the final too with Satoru, I'll never see him again."_

"What do you mean? You said he'd never give up."

"He won't. He won't give up on Satoru. Have you not been watching the games? It's dreadfully obvious he's head over heels."

Freya Morgan turned to the camera, her thin lips stretched back into an almost creepy smile. "Well ladies and gentlemen, the drama continues. What will happen to the Hunger Games' star crossed lovers? Any way the game plays out, their love with meet a fatal end. Tune in for more of the games, any channel, any time."

The interview ended with a panicked look from Todd, not sure if he was supposed to smile, or wave or keep looking down at his hands.

Drew woke up to the intense feeling of being watched. He moved to try and sit up, his protective instincts kicking in, when he felt a heavy weight on his chest, causing him to stay down. He looked over to see what was keeping him down, blinking his blue eyes open to see a mess of black hair and a small body curled up to his side, along with a hand grasping tightly on to his shirt. Drew took a deep breath, finally remembering everything that had happened to him in the passed 24 hours. How he let it happen, he would never know. But regretting it was something the Tribute would never do.

Gently he ran a hand down the other's back, whispering quietly to him. "Satoru, you've got to get up, we fell asleep."

The other Tribute didn't move, but Drew could feel as he blinked his eyes, eyelashes tickling his skin through the fabric of his shirt. When Satoru looked up, he looked extremely tired, but a delicate light pink blush spread across his cheeks, giving him a bit of life that the lack of sleep made almost impossible to see.

"Oh," he whispered, moving off of him. "Sorry."

Drew sat up then, still feeling someone's eyes on him and he practically tugged Satoru along, shuffling him back into the bushes more.

"What-"

He pulled him closer then, quickly whispering to him to be quiet before he peeked outside of his hiding place and into the bush across the path from them, squinting his eyes to see if anyone was there. Satoru blinked a few times, following Drew's gaze. When the leaves moved, Drew reacted instantly, grabbing his dagger out from his bag.

Satoru retreated slightly behind Drew, hand on his arm to brace himself. He pressed his face into the back of Drew's shirt, absolutely sure that they had been found. But when a flash of pale, pale skin and bright red hair caught Drew's attention, he relaxed just in the slightest, realizing who they were up against.

She climbed out of the bush, skin cut and blistered over, bruising covering at least half of her face. "It's you two," she noted.

Satoru whimpered, tightening his grip on Drew as the blonde tried to leave the bush. Finally Drew managed to break free of his tight grip and slipped out, looking at the small red-head.

"You're District…" Drew began to say, interrupted by the girl's weak voice.

"Lucy, I'm Lucy. I'm not a District, I'm a person."

That's when Drew noticed she was completely unarmed, yet he stood dagger ready in hand, positioned to attack. He stood a little straighter, lowering his hand.

"Drew," he nodded a little.

"Tell your boyfriend to come out I…wont hurt you. I have no way to hurt you."

_Boyfriend? _Drew thought, _Is that what he is? _

Satoru began to move out of the bush at her words, but Drew turned slightly, not letting his back face her. "Stay. Just a minute," he commanded, and Satoru stopped moving. "Have you been hiding here the whole time?"

"Not here. Everywhere," she said, looking up at Drew with a slightly frightened expression.

"Any weapons?"

"None," Lucy croaked out.

"Prove it," Drew replied, anxious about letting Satoru in harms way. Lucy took of her jacket then and pulled the pockets inside out, the only thing falling out being a pile of berries. She did the same for her pant pockets, flipping them inside out, and nothing.

When Drew was finally satisfied, he called for Satoru who climbed out, clutching on to Drew's backpack tightly.

"If I've got no weapons, put yours out so I can trust you," Lucy demanded, taking a step back. Drew dropped the dagger at his feet, close enough to himself so he could quickly grab it when he needed. He reached for his backpack, which Satoru gave up, giving a weak smile to the girl. Drew emptied out the rope, the empty water bottle, the blanket and their cream along with his jacket.

"That's all you have?"

Satoru nodded, "we wont hurt you."

She licked her lips, looking over their items. Taking one step closer, she shoved the red hair out of her face, nodding a little. "What does the cream do?"

"Medicine," Satoru replied. "You want a little?"

She raised an eyebrow, glancing at Drew and Satoru then back at the little tube of cream.

"It looks like you could use it…and since no one is killing anyone, the least we can do is help you out before we leave."

Drew frowned slightly, reaching out to keep a protective grip on Satoru, who instantly moved closer to his side. Lucy reached for the medicine, squinting her eyes to read the faded ink letters on it, brushing her thumb over the Capitol seal. It must have been high quality, coming from there. She popped open the cap, taking one final glance at the two before squeezing some of the cream onto the cracked and cut palm of her hand.

"What's up with you two, anyways?" She asked, making conversation as she rubbed the cream up her blistered arms. A satisfied hum left her lips as they slowly began to disappear, leaving her skin a light pink.

"Up with us?" Satoru raised an eyebrow, unsure of how to answer as he looked at Drew, still feeling a slight tingling in his lips from when they had kissed.

"We're…just playing in the games."

"Lets hope you two aren't left for the final two," Lucy chuckled. "That will be a decision that's hard to make, hm? But you'll have to die quickly then, there are only three of us aside from you."

"Excuse me?" Satoru blinked. "Die quickly?"

"Before you have to choose which of you lives," she corrected herself, taking more and more of the cream, rubbing it over her cheeks and ankles.

The two looked over at each other, Satoru's eyes wide and Drew's looking panicked.

"Relax. We're up against the Blonde…and one with the accent."

"Justin," Drew whispered. "And Logan."

"Whatever, I forgot their names," Lucy replied, closing the cream and throwing it back on the ground. "I figure they'll find us before they find each other. I haven't killed a person yet, and I really don't plan on doing so…so," she looked down, blinking her eyes a few times. "It's you against them." 

"You give up that easily?" Satoru asked, pulling his hand away from Drew in order to cross his arms over his chest. "I've given up so much so you could get where you are today and all you do is…give up?"

"Calm down, electro-boy," she chuckled, voice light and almost teasing. "I'll just hide while you four act like barbarians. I'll come out to play when I know it's safe."

Drew frowned a little. "I'm fighting to keep him safe."

"It's still barbaric," Lucy noted, pulling the sleeves of her jacket back down and the berries off the ground. She picked one and wiped it clean on her shirt, shoving it in her mouth. Drew's stomach growled just at the sight, and if you listened close enough, you could hear the small huff of jealousy escaping Satoru's lips.

"Where did you get those?" The Volunteer asked, licking his lips.

She smirked, motioning around to the forest around her. "If you two had been spending more time paying attention, and less time with locked lips you'd see they're everywhere."

Both blushed, watching as she turned to walk away. "Be careful," she reminded them. "I didn't kill you this time, but when it comes to my life…I value it more than anything. I wont be weakened by other people. I won't hold back for you and your damned voodoo relationship."

Satoru cringed, watching the girl with the flaming red hair.

"Oh," Lucy called back, looking at them over her shoulder. "Sorry about your cousin."

Her voice was genuine this time, a sincere smile gracing her rosy pink cheeks. Satoru stood frozen in spot, his eyes wide and his mouth popped open in a little 'O'. Drew placed a hand on his shoulder, reassuringly running it down his back. He had nearly been able to suppress the pain over the last few days, but the mention of Mika brought reality crashing back down on him like a pile of bricks.

She was gone, walking down the dirt trail before the two of them could say a single word.

"Mika," Satoru whispered to himself, his skin going a shade that would rival that of a dead body. "I-"

"Shh," Drew shook his head, instantly tugging him into his arms. "You're okay."

"No I'm not," Satoru chuckled breathlessly, hugging Drew around the waist. "I let myself be happy."

"That's okay…" Drew whispered, pressing his face into the other's hair.

"No, it's not. I can't get caught up in this," he sighed a little, pressing himself closer to Drew, so close that his voice got lost in the fabric of his black shirt, only a small mumble audible to Drew.

"It will get better, we'll get out of this."

"We?" Satoru asked about to continue, when a blood curdling scream almost shook the trees, various birds flying in large flocks from their homes at the loud noise, cawing and screeching as they flew back towards the mountains. It was high pitched, the kind of noise that set your teeth on edge, shivers running up your spine. Drew grabbed his dagger instantly, Satoru moving as fast as sound as he shoved everything into the bag and zipped it closed, throwing it over his back. Drew grabbed his hand and began to tug him in the opposite direction, heading back out of the forest and towards the mountains far off in the distance. But, to their surprise, no cannon fired. Whoever screamed was still alive, even if barely so. 


	16. Chapter 16

"_They're getting away again," the man quipped as he watched the large map, fingers tapping elegantly over the keys below him._

"Camera four," someone demanded, everyone's faces completely concentrated on the map set out below them. The arena was circular, the prairies of rock covered ground spread out for miles and miles. Around the rim of the arena stood the tall, cave bearing mountains that went higher and higher the closer to the edge they had gotten. But a pocket of forest sat directly in the middle, complete with streams and riverbeds. And no other trees were in the arena aside from the forest in which Drew and Satoru had just slept. 

"_How hot is it?" Coriolanus Snow asked impatiently, tapping his fingers on the desk. _

"_Forty three degrees Celsius, Mister Snow." _

"_Make it hotter. Dry the rivers, make sure the only source of water is the lake in the forest."_

His voice was firm, authoritative. The three-dimensional miniature arena changed slightly as all sources off water aside from one began to evaporate. 

"_What do we do about Three and Nine?" Someone asked quietly. _

_Coriolanus stayed silent for a few moments, debating what to do. His long, lean fingers ceased their tapping as he looked up at the screen above everyone, looking at the faces of the star crossed lovers that shone above him. A snarl escaped his lips as he curled his hand into a fist, slamming it down against the desk. _

_"Lead them to Dwight. He doesn't stand a chance against them. Justin will demolish the red head and then it will be them as final three. Justin kills the boy and we have Nine and him as our final two. That would be a show everyone would love to see," he said, turning to the group, "I need Houston's location." _

"_He's at the cornucopia, Sir." _

"_Leave him there." _

"_How do we get Nine and Three to him?"_

Snow paused, a cruel grin curling his lips. "Make it rain." 

The rumbling sound of thunder caused Satoru to freeze in his tracks. His hand clenched tightly on to Drew's as he glanced up, seeing the heavy, dark clouds that were swirling right above their heads. He knew what was coming. Drew turned his attention to the other, following his eyes up to see the clouds.

"Drew?" Satoru whispered, eyes frantic.

"I know," Drew replied, already tugging Satoru back. "We need to run."

"Where?" The Volunteer tribute asked, the crash of lightning making him jump.

Drew's blue eyes scanned the sky of the arena, seeing how the clouds went on passed where they just came from, far into the mountains in which they had never gotten to. He turned quickly, seeing how the grey mass of clouds died out back into crisp blue sky just around the arena's center.

"The cornucopia," Drew practically shouted over a loud clap of thunder, looking off into the distance where the stone ground had been dotted and wet by coming drops of rain. The ground steamed, the sizzle of acid burning all it touched echoing through their ears. Back in the Capitol, Mister Snow was practically purring. Making these tributes do what he wanted was like leading a horse to water.

The second the uttered words left Drew's lips, the two began to sprint, grasped hands falling between them as they pushed themselves to move faster and faster. The rain began to get closer, liking at the heels of their feet no matter how fast they moved. The occasional drop would land on their shoulders, their backs, burning into their skin to leave a hot welt of pain.

They moved faster, breathing seeming almost impossible in the humid heat. If they stopped, the rain would burn them to bits. It came down heavier and faster than before, smashing loudly on the ground. They couldn't stop to take off their jackets, or even take a breath. The only thing keeping Drew going was seeing Satoru constantly matching his pace. The faster he went, the faster Satoru would go. He couldn't spare himself or the other a millisecond to catch a breath.

Almost at the forest, Satoru took a gasping breath, his movements slowing in the slightest. A groan of pain escaped his lips as the water caught on his back and the back of his legs. But Drew grabbed onto his hand tightly, tugging him through the welcoming threshold.

They both collapsed on to the ground, watching as the rain fell right outside the curtain of trees. Satoru curled up around himself slightly, the burning ache on his back making him clench his teeth. The blonde saw quickly how the red bumps littered his skin and tugged out the cream, clumsily tugging up the back of Satoru's shirt to cover the blistered red marks with the cream.

His hand barely made contact with the damaged skin when Satoru catches a glint of shining metal appearing just above Drew's head and rolls them over, right back out into the rain. The axe lands just to the left of them and they both stare at it for a second, rain barely even being felt as they quickly move back into the forest, grabbing the weapon from its implanted spot in the mossy ground.

"Sat, RUN." Drew commands, shoving him further into the forest, shadowing close behind as they run. Footsteps could be heard not far behind them, sending the two blister covered boys directly to the cornucopia. Satoru kept running, taking cover behind the huge silver object, while Drew turned back to see who had been chasing them.

A tall man with dark hair covering over his eyes stood not three feet away, an almost feral expression on his face. Drew took his dagger and backed away, a growl escaping his lips.

"Hello lover boy." The man with dark hair teased, hands curled into claws as he stalked towards Drew.

Drew dropped the axe at his feet and raised his hand, snapping his wrist to send the dagger flying towards the other. Dwight dodged it with a precise talent, dropping to the ground to crawl closer to Drew.

Satoru kept peeking over the edge of the cornucopia, scanning over the left over weapons to see what he could use. He caught sight of a small loaf of bread and quickly tugged a corner off, shoving it in his mouth as he looked. A metal case caught his attention and he opened it to find a set of throwing daggers—never touched before. He knew Drew could use them, but there was no way he could get them to him without either of them getting injured. He kept looking, seeing a small egg shaped object pressed into the corner of the metal cornucopia. Satoru reached his slender hand forward, letting it clasp around the object. Its dents and ridges felt familiar, like he should know what the object was. When he finally managed to free it, his eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat.

Dwight had tackled Drew to the ground in a matter of seconds. While the blonde was stronger, this tribute was faster-almost animalistic in his movements. The blonde was unprepared for the knee that dug into his empty stomach, making him groan in almost unbearable pain. Not a second later was another blow, this time to his jaw. The pale fist was strong, cracking his jaw with ease.

Satoru looked up from the grenade he held in his hands when he heard the crack from the other side of the cornucopia. Shakily he stood up, taking one of the throwing daggers in hand as he moved from the pile, spotting Drew underneath the other Tribute. He stood still, mind racing a mile a minute as Dwight twisted his long, talon-like fingers into Drew's dirty curls and lifted his head off the ground, slamming it back down with an audible thump. Drew's movements were weakened as he pushed Dwight back, hands reaching up to wrap around his neck, nails digging into his skin. The tribute moaned in pain, scratching his fingers down Drew's face to try and get him to break his grasp.

In a leap of pure spontaneity, Satoru made his way closer to the two, seeing as Dwight's tinted blue lips gasped for air.

"HEY," he yelled, watching as Dwight glanced up at him. His eyes were dark, and he looked almost inhuman. Satoru got nervous as the tribute's attention landed on him, for his plan had gone no further than this.

But Drew knew what he was doing. The second Satoru had distracted Dwight, Drew kneed him in the stomach, and tightened his hands around his neck just enough to flip them over. He glanced at Satoru and spotted the grenade clasped in his hands, eyes widening as he nodded, looking back at Dwight.

He watched as the slim body beneath him fought for a gasp of air and Drew shook his head, slipping his hands up slightly to either side of the boy's face. He closed his eyes and tried his best not to shake as he uttered a quiet 'Sorry', and easily snapped Dwight's neck. The bones cracked easily under his strong grip, eyes poking out of their sockets as Drew dropped the mangled body from his hands.

Satoru looked away quickly, barely even hearing anything as Drew yelled at him. "Throw it!" He demanded, charging towards him with a quick speed. "THROW IT."

He blinked into reality, giving a sharp nod as Drew grabbed on to his jacket, tugging him further away from the site. He pulled the pin with shaky hands and chucked the small object, moving with Drew as far away from the place as they could.

The cannon fired simultaneously with the deafening roar of the explosion, sending debris flying madly towards the two terrified tributes. They kept running, only glancing back to see the bright red blaze of fire engulf the trees behind them, and hopefully all the weapons that could only be used against them. 

The noise of the explosion was unexplainable. Loud, echoing, and most certainly terrifying. But they didn't let themselves get scared, running and running until they reached the edge of the only source of water left in the arena. Without thinking they both continued straight into the water, trying to get away from the burning heat that surrounded them. Not only was the air hot, but now dry from the fire not thirty feet away, and their welts from the rain also stung in an intense heat.

A few minutes passed of silence, both just trying desperately to catch their breath. Drew cleaned the blood off his face from his split lip, finally removing the sticky jacket from off his body. His jaw stung, but it luckily hadn't been broken.

"Why did you make me throw it?" Satoru asked, completely out of breath. "There was _food _there and you had already killed the guy."

"Satoru," Drew mumbled, crouching down in the water until he was almost completely under. "There were hundreds of weapons there. Only four of us are left, and from the shrieking we heard earlier, it could even only be three. Do we need them getting to the weapons and using them against us? Do you want to be killed so easily?"

Satoru looked down into the rippling water, tracing his fingers over its surface. "No, I'm not going to get killed."

"Exactly. Lucy had no weapons, I grabbed my dagger-"

"I found another one," Satoru interjected.

"So we have two daggers. We still have your rope, too. I don't know what Justin has, but we have to make sure we have more."

"What if he does have more?"

"Then we deal with it. We still win. No matter what happens, we will be fine."

Satoru chuckled dryly, letting his hand fall completely into the water. It sent small splashes upwards, disrupting the quiet peace of the pond. He shook his head and looked at Drew with a highly nervous expression. "I don't know how you could even joke about that. Be okay? There are four of us left. From here on in, you die, I die, or we both die. There is no getting out of it, Drew. No second options."

"We'll be _fine_," Drew repeated from his blissful state of ignorance, glancing over Satoru every few minutes to assure they weren't being followed.

"Stop kidding yourself. It was okay for awhile, but I can't let myself get dragged into something that has no chance of surviving."

"Unfortunately," the blonde began to remind him, "you already have."

Satoru looked away from him, sinking down into the water with an ashamed expression. He wanted to kiss Drew yesterday because it felt more right than anything he had ever experienced. Even now, as he tried to convince himself he made a mistake, he couldn't find a reason why. As he looked at Drew's wide, light blue eyes, his trusting expression and his caring smile, Satoru knew the kiss was meant to happen. While these games might have brought him the worst pain he had ever felt, the Volunteer Tribute knew he had found a single redeeming quality in these terrible games. He could feel as Drew's damp hand touched his cheek, demanding his attention as he pressed their lips together again. 

It was a waiting game. All Drew and Satoru could do was sit and wait in a nervous stupor, starring into nothing with grumbling stomachs. However, it would be over soon. The hunger was almost unbearable, but either you would die and no longer have the need for food, or win and have all the food you've ever wanted. Most likely—you'd get the short end of that stick.

When the rain finally slowed to a stop outside of the forest, the two slipped out of the water. The intense heat of the arena dried their clothes within minutes, leaving their pink welts the only irritable factor they possessed. But the cream from the Capitol came in handy, relieving them of the sores quickly.

"It's almost empty," Satoru noted, frowning at the jar.

"The games are almost done, we wont need it for long. But, what we will need is a strategy. Who do we go after?"

"If we get Lucy on our side it will be easier to take down Justin. Three against one—we could do it," he said, shoving the practically empty metal container with the Capitol seal into their ripping backpack. The bottom was sagging from the constant weight, and they could only hope it would last long enough to get them through these games.

"And you really want to be stuck against fighting Lucy?" Drew asked with a cocked eyebrow, taking the now closed backpack from the Tribute's hands.

"She wouldn't fight back," said Satoru. "Which makes it seem terrible, but Drew I wont loose against her."

"I know." A sigh escaped his lips as he looked around the woods, hoping the smoke of the explosion wouldn't send them running directly towards them. "The problem is finding her."

"Then we look for her."

"What if we run into Justin?"

He paused, licking along his chapped, cracking lips before he looked up at Drew with a nervous smile, "we fight. But promise me one thing."

"Sure. Anything."

"Don't you dare try and be a hero."

"If it comes to the matter of saving you, or saving myself," Drew whispered, reaching towards Satoru with an eager expression. "I'll always choose you."

With a roll of his eyes, the smaller one moved up onto his tippy toes, wrapping an arm around Drew's neck. He shook his head and placed a chaste kiss on his lips, then another on his nose. "You have to stop thinking about me all the time. Whether we like it or not, we don't have enough time anymore."

"Sat, I'll always be thinking about you."

They kissed again, holding on to each other with a hungry neediness. Every kiss was in hopes that it wouldn't be the last, that there would be another touch, another smile, another night cuddled up together trying to share as much body heat as possible. They stayed hidden in their forest until night began to bleed into the sky, turning the light pink into a dark purple, dotted with unnaturally bright stars.

"We have to look," Satoru whispered to him, stealing a quick kiss to his cheek. "Before the gamemakers send a pack of bloodthirsty animals on us to rip us to shreds."

"Oh, how romantic." Drew said with a devilish smirk, taking Satoru's hand and threading their fingers together.

They stepped out of the woods with similarly nervous expressions, glancing around the rocky tundra to see if they could spot the fiery red headed girl. The anthem played in the distance, showing the angry face with waxy, harsh features of the tribute Drew had snapped the neck of earlier that day.

Lucy peeked her head out from the bush where she had hidden herself, not ten feet away from the pond where Drew and Satoru had been talking all day. With a shake of her red hair, the Tribute glared daggers at the two oblivious teens, sneaking from her spot towards the cornucopia. Fighting usually wasn't her game, but if they weren't going to play fair to her, she wouldn't either.

The rubble surrounding the charred metal structure was completely composed of bits and parts of metal, but looked as though no real weapons had been left. _Their only smart move, _she noted, as her eyes caught sight of the case Satoru had earlier been looking at. It looked in tact, so she made her way over, slinking through the ashes at her feet. Opening the case, Lucy brushed the ashes off on her jacket, green eyes widening as she saw the un touched set of knives resting peacefully in the box's embrace. Without a moment of hesitation, she grabbed one in each hand. Drew might be good with his knives, but what was better than to fight fire with fire? If she could get him, Satoru would be defenseless against her in his mourning for the blonde.

She followed their footsteps as silently as possible, eyes locked on the backs of the two with their hands clasped together tightly as they stalked off to find her. She smirked, raising the knife in one of her hands with a slightly insane chuckle. _This is going to be fun_.


	17. Chapter 17

The sound of the cannon firing almost brought tears to Satoru's eyes. His body began to shake as his blood covered hands let go of the metal chunk he had implanted into the side of the Tribute's head. It had lodged itself deep into his skull, leaving the teen with the British accent pale and cold, face down on the hard rock ground of the arena. The blood flow trailed across the ground like a river of red water across a long plain of rock, trickling passed Drew's muddy boots.

With a strangled noise, Satoru removed himself from the dead body, stumbling his way towards Drew with a frightened expression. It was done. It was over. They were the only ones left. The buzzing heat made the stench of death impossibly ignorable, causing Drew to sway slightly in dizziness. He couldn't quite believe what he had just seen.

"Drew?" He heard the whispered word and turned all of his attention to the smaller boy he had so easily fallen head over heels for. He began to smile, reaching towards him with open arms. But the smile faltered when he saw the tears. Satoru, clad in bloodstained, ripped clothing tumbled over his own two feet as he made it to the blonde, the salt of his own tears stinging the cut along his cheek.

"No," Drew whispered, shaking his head as he caught the other boy, pulling him tightly into his embrace. He had forgotten what this meant to them. They had defeated the only threat left for them, aside from each other. "No." he repeated again, tangling his fingers into the boy's hair.

A muffled sniff could be heard as Satoru shoved his face into the other's chest, clinging on to him with everything he had. They could hear the nearly silent engines of the hovercraft arriving to take the bodies left from the arena, so they stumbled backwards, away from the claw that came to rip the dead body from the boiling hot rock. Justin's blood had already begun to dry to the ground, so as the large metal claw tugged at his body, strings of red, thick blood followed, still stuck to the ground like saliva stringing to the teeth of a hungry mouth.

"We have to choose," Satoru groaned, body beginning to shake slightly in the other's embrace. He dug his blood-caked nails into the fabric of Drew's shirt, scared that if he let go, the boy he was practically glued to would disappear.

"You don't have to choose anything," Drew mumbled. "You've won this, Satoru. It's okay, you're getting out of here alive."

"Don't." Satoru spat out, shaking his head as he glanced up at Drew. "Don't you dare." He reached his hand down to Drew's hand, uncurling his long fingers from the handle of the dagger he held. "Don't even think about it."

The instant Drew mentioned himself being the one to die, Satoru snapped. He knew his mind had been made up. For days, it had been made up. He was ready to die for Drew, if he had to.

"Don't think about it?" Drew chuckled, the sound harsh and dry as he tried to pull the knife back from Satoru's hand. "I have to think about it. I'm done. You've _won, _Sat. Accept the truth."

Somehow, Satoru managed to tug the knife away from Drew again, stumbling backwards to step in the trail of Justin's drying blood. The early morning sky was the shade of burnt pumpkin, mixed with the lightest shade of beige from the white clouds reflecting the hot light of the man-made sunlight.

"The game is still on. I haven't won anything," Satoru reminded him, looking down at the slightly rusted, curved blade of the knife he held. "I've gotten as far as I'm going to go," he continued, stepping back towards Drew. He shakily took the blonde's cracked hand and placed the knife carefully back into it, closing his hand over Drew's to create a double-handed fist around the Holt. "It's your time to win, Drew. I always knew it was your game. No one expects me to come home anyways; I've said my goodbye. I didn't make any promises to win."

"Mika expects you to win," Drew said in a slightly begging voice, eyes wide with fear as he realized what the boy wanted him to do. "Win for her."

"She's dead."

"She made me promise to keep you alive. You have to stay alive. Please. This isn't happening. You're going to win."

"You kept your promise, Drew." Satoru reminded him, reaching his free hand up to rest on the Tribute's scruffy cheek. "I'm giving you permission to take it back now."

"Satoru, no-"

"Shh," he whispered, eyes filling with more tears as he looked at the pained expression in the boy's blue eyes. "You've done so much. You're perfect, my angel. But you need to do this for me. Please."

He shook his head, trying desperately to let go of the knife that Satoru had pointed at himself. Each time he tried to release the object, Satoru would tighten his grip, imprinting the design on the handle into the palm of Drew's hand.

"Don't make me do this," Drew begged pleadingly, his voice husky and shaking slightly from the lump that sat low in his throat, making it impossible to breath as he looked at the smaller boy in front of him.

"Stop speaking," the Volunteer Tribute whispered, tracing the outlines of the taller one's face. Drew closed his eyes, a tear slipping out of the corner of it to race down and land on Satoru's finger. "Just close your eyes. Like that, keep them closed. I'll be all right. No ones going to hurt you now, Drew. You're safe. You're going to win this."

"You can't make me do it."

"Please. Drew, please. I want you to kill me."

The blonde snapped his red tinted eyes back open and shook his head quickly, a strangled noise escaping his lips. "I won't. I'm not letting you go. Satoru stop. Please. Please. _Please!"_ The words left his lips, getting louder and louder with each passing syllable. He reached his free hand to tangle into Satoru's hair, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. He tried to pull the knife closer to himself, making sure to keep it as far away from Satoru as possible.

"This doesn't make you a bad person, Drew. There are as many good people in this world as there are bad, and you're one of the excellent. You got stuck into doing a bad thing. But that doesn't make you bad. Do it. Please? For me? A good person needs to win these games."

Drew let out a sob that was muffled in the tufts of the other's hair. He glanced up at the sky, looking at how it looked like the entire world around him was on fire. It was burning, ripping apart at the seams, falling to pieces. He shakily pressed his lips back to the boy's head, whispering "no" in a constant mantra.

"I've gotten everything I've needed in my life. I'll die happy, Drew. I got you. I got this far. I survived. I did my best to get out of here…but please, do it now. Quickly. Before the gamemakers get bored and something else pulls us apart. I want to die on my own time, not under their control."

"_you're not going to die,_" Drew hissed, clinging on to Satoru with everything he had. "Stop saying these terrible things."

"You're scared," Satoru whispered. "Of loosing me. But it's only temporary. You'll see me again one day, Drew. I promise. You've got to keep fighting. Someone so strong like you…so perfectly beautiful, kind, smart and funny...shouldn't give up so easily. Keep going. And whether you win or loose, I'll see you at the end, okay? For me. Keep fighting every day," he took a shaky breath and moved the knife to the side so he could lean in and press a kiss over Drew's heart. "Make…" he tried to say, ignoring the tears that stung in his eyes. "Make me proud."

"I love you," Drew whispered. "Does that mean nothing? I love you. Please. Live. I love you. I can't. I love you. I'm not letting you go."

"You have to, Drew. Let me go. I knew I'd see Mika again, so know you'll see me. I have no one waiting for me at home, but you've got Todd to think of. He'll want you to do this. So for him, too. For all three of us…just kill me, Drew."

"I love you," Drew whispered into his hair, kissing down to his forehead. His lips quivered from his crying as he placed a gentle kiss to his nose, trailing them down and down. His words were barely audible, cut off by the sniffles and hiccups of his tears.

"I know." Satoru whispered. "I know. Be strong."

"You're the only good thing I have left, Satoru. I only got this far for _you_. I've been strong for _you_. I've done everything I can to make sure you get the life you deserve. You need to s-stop this and realize all I want is you. I just want you to live, to get married, and have all the food you'll ever need…to get out of these games because you never should have been here in the first place. It should never have been you."

"It is me, Drew. You've given me the best possible ending I could have hoped for. Now you need to do this one last thing for me. Be strong for me one last time."

"Drop the knife?" The blonde whispered, tracing his hand down Satoru's cheek. "For just a-a…a minute. Please, I just…I need…"

Satoru understood, slowly loosening his grip on Drew. But he kept his reflexes ready, prepared for if the blonde tried anything. The knife clattered onto the rock ground as Drew flung his arms around the boy, pulling him up into his arms. Satoru didn't complain, tightening his arms around his neck and his legs around his waist as he held him as close as humanly possible.

Satoru slipped his hands up to either side of Drew's face and pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes. Blue locked with brown, both slightly red from the tears spilling down their cheeks. They leaned their foreheads together for a minute, just holding each other close, before Satoru leaned in and gave Drew one of his final kisses. His lips were soft but persistent, memorizing exactly how Drew's lips felt pressed to his. The taller kept him up, gripping on to the back of his shirt tightly in an attempt to keep him there as long as he could. Drew traced his hand along the contours of Satoru's body, remembering every little detail from the shape of his jaw to the curve of his back. The kiss lasted as long as possible without the two desperate for breath, only breaking when they absolutely needed to. Drew loosened his grip on him just enough for the Volunteer to unwrap his legs from his waist and slide his way back down, hands still glued to his cheeks.

"I love you too," he whispered, eyes wide and teary still. He brushed a tear away with the pad of his thumb, giving a shaky smile to try and calm the boy. "Don't forget that, okay?"

"I'll never forget it," Drew replied, stealing another quick kiss.

"We don't have time," Satoru mumbled against his lips. "Now. You have to do it, Drew."

"Five minutes."

"You don't have five minutes, you have to do it now. They're going to get bored."

Drew looked at Satoru with a devastating expression as the District Three Tribute bent to pick up the dagger. Taking his hand again, Satoru placed the knife in his palm, blade directed at himself.

"How do you say goodbye to someone you love?" Drew asked quietly. "When do you decide which moment is the last? I look at you and just know that this is the last time I'm ever going to see you and I can't handle the thought. You're going to die, and it's all going to be my fault."

"You're going to live," Satoru countered, trying to smile through his immense fear. "And that's enough for me to want you to do this. I'm asking you nicely. Let me see her again. I wouldn't last long if you let me out of this arena by myself. I'd have nothing. We are getting separated today whether it be by my hand, yours, or the gamemakers. I'm ready to die, Drew. And I want to spend my final seconds with you, waste my final breath trying to hold on one moment longer to look at you and remember the exact color of your eyes, or the shape of your bottom lip. I want that. I want to die here, knowing that you got out of this arena fair and square. The least you could do is give me that."

"You really think I'll last that much longer without you?"

"I know that if I ask you not to try killing yourself for my sake, that you wont. You've got Todd to keep an eye out for you. You'll get over me."

"I never will get over you," Drew choked out, hand shaking as he held the dagger. He curled his hand into a fist, knowing the words Satoru said were true. Sooner or later the makers would get bored, and both of them would be done for without a chance to say goodbye.

"I promise. You'll see me again. We'll only be apart for a little while, Drew. We're not saying goodbye for good. Just a bit," Satoru said, fighting back against his tears. He shouldn't give promises he didn't know he could keep, but he would have done anything to make sure Drew did what he wanted him to do. He could already feel his body shutting down in preparation. His breathing relaxed, his heart rate slowed. He gave a weak smile and repeated the two words that hurt Drew the most. "I'm ready."

"I don't want to loose you."

"Drew, I love you."

"Don't make me do this."

"You have to," Satoru reminded him. "It will only take five seconds of courage, then it will all be over with. Five seconds."

"I don't-"

"Now, Drew. You have to do it."

"Satoru _please_," he tried to beg one last time, eyes pouring tears in a constant flow. His heart ached at the sight of Satoru nodding at him, eyes wide and trusting.

"Tell me you love me," he replied, reaching a hand out to touch Drew's chest. When you do it. That's all I want to hear. Just tell me how much you love me and don't let me go until I'm gone. Tell me about what we would have done if we weren't in here. Where we would have lived. Don't apologize," Satoru croaked out the words, having to glance away from his love in order to catch his breath. "Just hold me in your arms, tell me you love me. And when I'm gone, just let me go. You're going to be alright."

"I do love you," the blonde said in a wavering voice, trying to hold back the sob that was ripping through his chest.

"Shh, tell me later."

Satoru looked up and took Drew's face between his hands, brushing his thumbs over his cheekbones. "You're beautiful, Drew. I would spend a lifetime with you if I could…every second of every day of the rest of my life. You are my angel, and I want you to always remember that no matter what happens that you made me the happiest man on this entire planet. I'll love you forever, okay?"

Drew couldn't answer, and just nodded his head slightly, his face contorted in an unbearable pain that shot through his heart. He reached his free hand forward to Satoru's shirt, clinging on to him as he let out another almost animalistic noise of pain.

"I'm going to kiss you, Drew. And when I do I want you to do it."

"No, please," he said weakly, unable to find any more strength within himself to keep fighting.

"Yes. Don't forget what I told you. Congratulations. I'm so unbelievably proud of you. You won. _I love you, angel_. "

With a heavy, deep breath and a quick glance around the arena, Satoru pressed his lips firmly to Drew's, leaving just enough space between them for Drew to move his hand. He kept his hands on Drew's cheeks, only feeling his tears when Drew began to kiss him back, desperate for more. Satoru let out a quiet noise, reaching one hand down to touch the fist Drew had made around the dagger. He then deepened the kiss, pouring all of his love into that one moment before the only thing he could feel was pain.

He had wrapped himself up so much into the kiss that he couldn't even feel when Drew expertly stabbed the knife directly where it would kill him with the least amount of pain, and the most amount of ease. Satoru gasped for air, clawing his nails into the sides of Drew's face to keep himself from falling over.

Drew pressed their lips together one last time, as though trying to give him his own life. It was needy and heavy and wet, a mix of tears and panting breaths as Drew wrapped his arm low around the boy's waist and crumbled with him to the ground, resting his head down in his lap. The Tribute was still breathing, but barely. He wanted to apologize the second it happened, to take back time and erase the last day of his life.

He gasped for breath, hands falling away from Drew's face to clutch at his chest, eyes bulging out of his head as he moved his lips like he was trying to speak, but no words came out. Drew's words could barely be heard through his sobs as he brushed the hair off of Satoru's sweaty forehead, pressing gentle kisses to the skin.

"I love you," he whispered. "More than anyone loves anything or anyone on this entire planet. I wanted to protect you since day o-one," Drew stuttered out, looking as the usually bright brown eyes of the only person he ever loved slowly lost a big of color. His chest still managed to rise and fall with short, panting breaths, the only sign that he was still living. "I never wanted to do this…any of it. But dear god, I'm so thankful I got you wh-while I did. I love you, Satoru. I want to apologize but I wont. I-If we weren't here," he thought of what to say, trying his best to make sure that Satoru's last moments were filled with love and caring. "I'd give you the world. A-anything you wanted. A h-home, a-a life. We could have gotten married. W-Where I come from, t-that's not more t-than just sharing a house but I'd give it to you, if you wanted it. I would treasure you. I do treasure you. Y-you….you're m-my universe. I love you."

Satoru began to fade more, gasping and trying for air desperately as his body began to shake. He continuously tried to speak, but the pain overtook the urge, making his silent pleading to be heard never quite filled. Drew pulled back after leaving another kiss on his forehead to see the boy. He wouldn't let his eyes leave his face, ignoring the dagger sticking out from his chest. He could tell he didn't have long left, barely seconds. He stayed there, far away enough for Satoru to see him. Memorize his eyes, his lips, his everything. Just like he wanted.

"Don't leave me," Drew asked through his heavy tears. "Don't go. Not yet." He touched his cheek, reaching his free hand to tangle his fingers together with Satoru's. His hand was getting cold, and Drew barely could stand the thought that it was this close to over. Everything they had would be gone in a matter of seconds. "I'm never saying goodbye. I love you more. I love you so much, my Satoru. Everything I did, I did for you. I'll see you soon, I promise. Soon. Just hold on for one more minute. I'm not ready."

Satoru gripped on to Drew's hand with the last bit of strength he had. He tried to hold on for Drew, to give him the time he needed to let go and say goodbye for now. But his eyes began to close and his breath became increasingly difficult as the seconds passed by. His vision blurred, and Satoru took a long, final gasp of air, looking up at Drew to try and memorize every small feature. The pain overtook his senses, and he could no longer hear what Drew was saying. But he could hear him mouth the words I love you over and over, and even that brought him the comfort he needed to let go. As he began to close his eyes, everything blurred more and more until all he could see was Drew's outline, and the now light pink of the sky above him.

If he had gotten a chance to, Satoru would have told you that in that moment, Drew looked exactly like an angel.

"I love you," Drew said again, eyes widening in fear as Satoru's eyes closed. His breathing slowed to a stop, leaving Drew alone, shaking and cold in the bloody mess of the arena around him. His head lolled to the side, hand loosening in the blonde's grip as life finally released him. But Drew didn't let him go. He had done everything he was told, but now that it was over, he couldn't let go.

_And when I'm gone, _he could hear Satoru clearly stating. _Just let me go. _

So with one final chaste, loving kiss to his blue tinted lips, Drew released Satoru from his arms, gently placing his head on the hard rock ground. "I'll see you soon," he whispered softly to the boy, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand to try and not let any land on his face. A hovercraft arrived, followed closely by another, as Drew stood from his spot. He looked down at Satoru and caught a glimpse of silver wrapped around his wrist. With wide eyes, Drew quickly undid his gold necklace, fastening it around the boy's neck as the claw fell towards them. He then unfastened Satoru's silver amino acid bracelet from his wrist, his home token, and kissed his forehead one final time.


	18. Chapter 18

The sound of the cannon firing brought tears to Satoru's eyes. His body began to shake as his blood covered hands let go of the metal chunk he had implanted into the back of the Tribute's head. It had lodged itself deep into his skull, leaving the teen with the British accent pale and cold, face down on the hard rock ground of the arena. The blood flow trailed across the ground like a river of red water across a long plain of rock, trickling passed Drew's muddy boots.

With a strangled noise, Satoru removed himself from the dead body, stumbling his way towards Drew with a frightened expression. It was done. It was over. They were the only ones left. The buzzing heat made the stench of death impossibly ignorable, causing Drew to sway slightly in dizziness. He couldn't quite believe what he had just seen.

"Drew?" He heard the whispered word and turned all of his attention to the smaller boy he had so easily fallen head over heels for. He began to smile, reaching towards him with open arms. But the smile faltered when he saw the tears. Satoru, clad in bloodstained, ripped clothing tumbled over his own two feet as he made it to the blonde, the salt of his own tears stinging the cuts along his cheek.

"No," Drew whispered, shaking his head as he caught the other boy, pulling him tightly into his embrace. He had forgotten what this meant to them. They had defeated the only threat left for them, aside from each other. "No." he repeated again, tangling his fingers into the boy's hair.

A muffled sniff could be heard as Satoru shoved his face into the other's chest, clinging on to him with everything he had. They could hear the nearly silent engines of the hovercraft arriving to take the bodies left from the arena, so they stumbled backwards, away from the claw that came to rip the dead body from the boiling hot rock. Justin's blood had already begun to dry to the ground, so as the large metal claw tugged at his body, strings of red, thick blood followed, still stuck to the ground like saliva stringing to the teeth of a hungry mouth.

"We have to choose," Satoru groaned, body beginning to shake slightly in the other's embrace. He dug his blood-caked nails into the fabric of Drew's shirt, scared that if he let go, the boy he was practically glued to would disappear.

"You don't have to choose anything," Drew mumbled. "You've won this, Satoru. It's okay, you're getting out of here alive."

"Don't." Satoru spat out, shaking his head as he glanced up at Drew. "Don't you dare." He reached his hand down to Drew's hand, uncurling his long fingers from the handle of the dagger he held. "Don't even think about it."

The instant Drew mentioned himself being the one to die, Satoru snapped. He knew his mind had been made up. For days, it had been made up. He was ready to die for Drew, if he had to.

"Don't think about it?" Drew chuckled, the sound harsh and dry as he tried to pull the knife back from Satoru's hand. "I have to think about it. I'm done. You've _won, _Sat. Accept the truth. You're going to get out of here and live and enjoy your life."

Somehow, Satoru managed to tug the knife away from Drew again, stumbling backwards to step in the trail of Justin's drying blood. The early morning sky was the shade of burnt pumpkin, mixed with the lightest shade of beige from the white clouds reflecting the hot light of the man-made sunlight.

"The game is still on. I haven't won anything," Satoru reminded him, looking down at the slightly rusted, curved blade of the knife he held. "I've gotten as far as I'm going to go," he continued, stepping back towards Drew. He shakily took the blonde's cracked hand and placed the knife carefully back into it, closing his hand over Drew's to create a double-handed fist around the holt. "It's your time to win, Drew. I always knew it was your game. Besides, look what I've become out here. This isn't me. I've turned into…something disgusting. Look at what I did to him, Drew. It's not right. I don't want to go out of here knowing how many I killed simply for the sake of my own life. Twenty-two people are dead so we could be standing here right now. The thought alone disgusts me."

"So you want me to win with twenty-three people dead because of what I do?" Drew asked, shaking his head incredulously. Satoru ignored the question.

"No one expects me to come home anyways; I've said my goodbye. I didn't make any promises to win."

"Mika expects you to win," Drew said in a slightly begging voice, eyes wide with fear as he realized what the boy wanted him to do. "Win for her."

"She's _**dead**_."

"She made me promise to keep you alive. You have to stay alive. Please. This isn't happening. You're going to win."

"You kept your promise, Drew." Satoru reminded him, reaching his free hand up to rest on the Tribute's scruffy cheek. "I'm giving you permission to take it back now."

"Satoru, no-"

"Shh," he whispered, eyes filling slightly with more tears as he looked at the pained expression in the boy's blue eyes. "You've done so much. You're perfect, my dear angel. But you need to do this for me. Please."

He shook his head, trying desperately to let go of the knife that Satoru had pointed at himself. Each time he tried to release the object, Satoru would tighten his grip, imprinting the design on the handle into the palm of Drew's hand.

"Don't make me do this," Drew begged pleadingly, his voice husky and shaking slightly from the lump that sat low in his throat, making it impossible to breath as he looked at the smaller boy in front of him. "Let me die for you. Please. I want to."

"Stop speaking," the Volunteer Tribute whispered with a sad laugh, tracing the outlines of the taller one's face. Drew closed his eyes, a tear slipping out of the corner of it to race down and land on Satoru's finger. "Just close your eyes. Like that, keep them closed. I'll be all right. No ones going to hurt you now, Drew. You're safe. You're going to win this."

"You can't make me do it."

"Please. Drew, please. I want you to kill me."

The blonde snapped his red tinted eyes back open and shook his head quickly, a strangled noise escaping his lips. "I won't. I'm not letting you go. Satoru stop. Please. Please. _Please!"_ The words left his lips, getting louder and louder with each passing syllable. He reached his free hand to tangle into Satoru's hair, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. He tried to pull the knife closer to himself, making sure to keep it as far away from Satoru as possible. But Satoru was persistent, begging and pleading with Drew to take his life.

"This doesn't make you a bad person, Drew," he argued. "There are as many good people in this world as there are bad, and you're one of the excellent. You got stuck into doing a bad thing. But that doesn't make you bad. Do it. Please? For me? A good person needs to win these games."

Drew let out a sob that was muffled in the tufts of the other's hair. He glanced up at the sky, looking at how it looked like the entire world around him was on fire. It was burning, ripping apart at the seams, falling to pieces. He shakily pressed his lips back to the boy's head, whispering "no" in a constant mantra.

"I've gotten everything I've needed in my life. I'll die happy, Drew. I got you. I got this far. I survived. I did my best to get out of here…but please, do it now. Quickly. Before the gamemakers get bored and something else pulls us apart. I want to die on my own time, not under their control."

"_you're not going to die,_" Drew hissed, clinging on to Satoru with everything he had. "Stop saying these terrible things."

"You're scared," Satoru whispered. "Of loosing me. But it's only temporary. You'll see me again one day, Drew. I promise. You've got to keep fighting. Someone so strong like you…so perfectly beautiful, kind, smart and funny...shouldn't give up so easily. Keep going. And whether you win or loose, I'll see you at the end, okay? For me. Keep fighting every day," he took a shaky breath and moved the knife to the side so he could lean in and press a kiss over Drew's heart. "Make…" he tried to say, ignoring the tears that stung in his eyes. "Make me proud."

"I love you," Drew whispered. "Does that mean nothing? I love you. Please. Live. I love you. I can't. I love you. I'm not letting you go."

"You have to, Drew. Let me go. I knew I'd see Mika again, so know you'll see me. I have no one waiting for me at home, but you've got Todd to think of. He'll want you to do this. So for him, too. For all three of us…just kill me, Drew."

"I love you," Drew whispered into his hair, kissing down to his forehead. His lips quivered from his crying as he placed a gentle kiss to his nose, trailing them down and down. His words were barely audible, cut off by the sniffles and hiccups of his tears.

"I know." Satoru whispered. "I know. Be strong."

"You're the only good thing I have left, Satoru. I only got this far for _you_. I've been strong for _you_. I've done everything I can to make sure you get the life you deserve. You need to s-stop this and realize all I want is you. I just want you to live, to get married, and have all the food you'll ever need…to get out of these games because you never should have been here in the first place. It should never have been you."

"It is me, Drew. You've given me the best possible ending I could have hoped for. Now you need to do this one last thing for me. Be strong for me one last time."

"Drop the knife?" The blonde whispered, tracing his hand down Satoru's cheek. "For just a-a…a minute. Please, I just…I need…"

Satoru understood, slowly loosening his grip on Drew. But he kept his reflexes ready, prepared for if the blonde tried anything. The knife clattered onto the rock ground as Drew flung his arms around the boy, pulling him up into his arms. Satoru didn't complain, tightening his arms around his neck and his legs around his waist as he held him as close as humanly possible.

Satoru slipped his hands up to either side of Drew's face and pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes. Blue locked with brown, both slightly red from the tears spilling down their cheeks. They leaned their foreheads together for a minute, just holding each other close, before Satoru leaned in and gave Drew one of his final kisses. His lips were soft but persistent, memorizing exactly how Drew's lips felt pressed to his. The taller kept him up, gripping on to the back of his shirt tightly in an attempt to keep him there as long as he could. Drew traced his hand along the contours of Satoru's body, remembering every little detail from the shape of his jaw to the curve of his back. The kiss lasted as long as possible without the two desperate for breath, only breaking when they absolutely needed to. Drew loosened his grip on him just enough for the Volunteer to unwrap his legs from his waist and slide his way back down, hands still glued to his cheeks.

"I love you too," he whispered, eyes wide and teary still. He brushed a tear away with the pad of his thumb, giving a shaky smile to try and calm the boy. "Don't forget that, okay?"

"I'll never forget it," Drew replied, stealing another quick kiss.

"We don't have time," Satoru mumbled against his lips. "Now. You have to do it, Drew."

"Five minutes."

"You don't have five minutes, you have to do it now. They're going to get bored."

Drew looked at Satoru with a devastating expression as the District Three Tribute bent to pick up the dagger. Taking his hand again, Satoru placed the knife in his palm, blade directed at himself.

"How do you say goodbye to someone you love?" Drew asked quietly. "When do you decide which moment is the last? I look at you and just know that this is the last time I'm ever going to see you and I can't handle the thought. You're going to die, and it's all going to be my fault."

"You're going to live," Satoru countered, trying to smile through his immense fear. "And that's enough for me to want you to do this. I'm asking you nicely. Let me see her again. I wouldn't last long if you let me out of this arena by myself. I'd have nothing. We are getting separated today whether it be by my hand, yours, or the gamemakers. I'm ready to die, Drew. And I want to spend my final seconds with you, waste my final breath trying to hold on one moment longer to look at you and remember the exact color of your eyes, or the shape of your bottom lip. I want that. I want to die here, knowing that you got out of this arena fair and square. The least you could do is give me that."

"You really think I'll last that much longer without you?"

"I know that if I ask you not to try killing yourself for my sake, that you wont. You've got Todd to keep an eye out for you. You'll get over me."

"I never will get over you," Drew choked out, hand shaking as he held the dagger. He curled his hand into a fist, knowing the words Satoru said were true. Sooner or later the makers would get bored, and both of them would be done for without a chance to say goodbye.

"I promise. You'll see me again. We'll only be apart for a little while, Drew. We're not saying goodbye for good. Just a bit," Satoru said, fighting back against his tears. He shouldn't give promises he didn't know he could keep, but he would have done anything to make sure Drew did what he wanted him to do. He could already feel his body shutting down in preparation. His breathing relaxed, his heart rate slowed. He gave a weak smile and repeated the two words that hurt Drew the most. "I'm ready."

"I don't want to loose you."

"Drew, I love you."

"Don't make me do this."

"You have to," Satoru reminded him. "It will only take five seconds of courage, then it will all be over with. Five seconds."

"I don't-"

"Now, Drew. You have to do it."

"Satoru _please_," he tried to beg one last time, eyes pouring tears in a constant flow. His heart ached at the sight of Satoru nodding at him, eyes wide and trusting.

"Tell me you love me," he replied, reaching a hand out to touch Drew's chest. "When you do it. That's all I want to hear. Just tell me how much you love me and don't let me go until I'm gone. Tell me about what we would have done if we weren't in here. Where we would have lived. Don't apologize," Satoru croaked out the words, having to glance away from his love in order to catch his breath. "Just hold me in your arms, tell me you love me. And when I'm gone, just let me go. You're going to be alright."

"I do love you," the blonde said in a wavering voice, trying to hold back the sob that was ripping through his chest.

"Shh, tell me later."

Satoru looked up and took Drew's face between his hands, brushing his thumbs over his cheekbones. "You're beautiful, Drew. I would spend a lifetime with you if I could…every second of every day of the rest of my life. You are my angel, and I want you to always remember that no matter what happens that you made me the happiest man on this entire planet. I'll love you forever, okay?"

Drew couldn't answer, and just nodded his head slightly, his face contorted in an unbearable pain that shot through his heart. He reached his free hand forward to Satoru's shirt, clinging on to him as he let out another almost animalistic noise of pain.

"I'm going to kiss you, Drew. And when I do I want you to do it."

"No, please," he said weakly, unable to find any more strength within himself to keep fighting.

"Yes. Don't forget what I told you. Congratulations. I'm so unbelievably proud of you. You won. _I love you, angel_. "

With a heavy, deep breath and a quick glance around the arena, Satoru pressed his lips firmly to Drew's, leaving just enough space between them for Drew to move his hand. He kept his hands on Drew's cheeks, only feeling his tears when Drew began to kiss him back, desperate for more. Satoru let out a quiet noise, reaching one hand down to touch the fist Drew had made around the dagger. He then deepened the kiss, pouring all of his love into that one moment before the only thing he could feel was pain.

He had wrapped himself up so much into the kiss that he couldn't even feel when Drew expertly stabbed the knife directly where it would kill him with the least amount of pain, and the most amount of ease. Satoru gasped for air, clawing his nails into the sides of Drew's face to keep himself from falling over.

Drew pressed their lips together one last time, as though trying to give him his own life. It was needy and heavy and wet, a mix of tears and panting breaths as Drew wrapped his arm low around the boy's waist and crumbled with him to the ground, resting his head down in his lap. The Tribute was still breathing, but barely. He wanted to apologize the second it happened, to take back time and erase the last day of his life.

He gasped for breath, hands falling away from Drew's face to clutch at his chest, eyes bulging out of his head as he moved his lips like he was trying to speak, but no words came out. Drew's words could barely be heard through his sobs as he brushed the hair off of Satoru's sweaty forehead, pressing gentle kisses to the skin.

"I love you," he whispered. "More than anyone loves anything or anyone on this entire planet. I wanted to protect you since day o-one," Drew stuttered out, looking as the usually bright brown eyes of the only person he ever loved slowly lost a bit of color. His chest still managed to rise and fall with short, panting breaths, the only sign that he was still living. "I never wanted to do this…any of it. But dear god, I'm so thankful I got you wh-while I did. I love you, Satoru. I want to apologize but I wont. I-If we weren't here," he thought of what to say, trying his best to make sure that Satoru's last moments were filled with love and caring. "I'd give you the world. A-anything you wanted. I'd….I'd bring these games to an end. No one else would die. Not for this. Not in an arena. No one would have to go through this any more, Satoru. I'd…give you a h-home, a-a life. We could have gotten married. W-Where I come from, t-that's not more t-than just sharing a house but I'd give it to you, if you wanted it. I would treasure you. I do treasure you. Y-you….you're m-my universe. I love you."

Satoru began to fade more, gasping and trying for air desperately as his body began to shake. He continuously tried to speak, but the pain overtook the urge, making his silent pleading to be heard never quite filled. Drew pulled back after leaving another kiss on his forehead to see the boy. He wouldn't let his eyes leave his face, ignoring the dagger sticking out from his chest. He could tell he didn't have long left, barely seconds. He stayed there, far away enough for Satoru to see him. Memorize his eyes, his lips, his everything. Just like he wanted.

"Don't leave me," Drew asked through his heavy tears. "Don't go. Not yet." He touched his cheek, reaching his free hand to tangle his fingers together with Satoru's. His hand was getting cold, and Drew barely could stand the thought that it was this close to over. Everything they had would be gone in a matter of seconds. "I'm never saying goodbye. I love you more. I love you so much, my Satoru. Everything I did, I did for you. I'll see you soon, I promise. Soon. Just hold on for one more minute. I'm not ready."

Satoru gripped on to Drew's hand with the last bit of strength he had. He tried to hold on for Drew, to give him the time he needed to let go and say goodbye for now. But his eyes began to close and his breath became increasingly difficult as the seconds passed by. His vision blurred, and Satoru took a long, final gasp of air, looking up at Drew to try and memorize every small feature. The pain overtook his senses, and he could no longer hear what Drew was saying. But he could see him mouth the words I love you over and over, and even that brought him the comfort he needed to let go. As he began to close his eyes, everything blurred more and more until all he could see was Drew's outline, and the now light pink of the sky above him.

If he had gotten a chance to, Satoru would have told you that in that moment, Drew looked exactly like an angel.

"I love you," Drew said again, eyes widening in fear as Satoru's eyes closed. His breathing slowed to a stop, leaving Drew alone, shaking and cold in the bloody mess of the arena around him. His head lolled to the side, hand loosening in the blonde's grip as life finally released him. But Drew didn't let him go. He had done everything he was told, but now that it was over, he couldn't let go.

_And when I'm gone, _he could hear Satoru clearly stating. _Just let me go. _

So with one final chaste, loving kiss to his blue tinted lips, Drew released Satoru from his arms, gently placing his head on the hard rock ground. "I'll see you soon," he whispered softly to the boy, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand to try and not let any land on his face. A hovercraft arrived, followed closely by another, as Drew stood from his spot. He looked down at Satoru and caught a glimpse of silver wrapped around his wrist. With wide eyes, Drew quickly undid his gold necklace, fastening it around the boy's neck as the claw fell towards them. He then unfastened Satoru's silver amino acid bracelet from his wrist, his home token, and kissed his forehead one final time.

He sat beside the boy as the claw rested around him, keeping a hand on his gently and fleetingly until he began to get pulled away. Drew was dried completely of his tears, just sitting in an almost drunken-like stupor as Satoru got pulled right out of his life as though he never existed. He glanced up as his own rope fell to collect him and whispered an 'I'm sorry' as a voice played over the speaker, congratulating him as victor. He wasn't supposed to apologize, but he did. He had to. What he did was unforgivable. But with Satoru giving himself up, the only thing Drew could do was oblige. It broke his heart, shattered it into millions of pieces. Drew would always do what Satoru wanted him to do, even if it hurt himself.

~oOo~

A year later, the pain hadn't faded. Not even slightly. He had food, but he never ate. He had people, but he barely ever talked. Drew had a bed, but there was nothing anyone could do to make him sleep. The only thing he did was live each day, barely scraping through, until he could see his Satoru again. See his bright eyes and his gorgeous grin; hear the way he laughed and his soothing voice. Drew wanted nothing more to feel his lips against his own one more time. He regretted what he did every minute of every day, but he knew Satoru would never blame him. Every day he wore the amino acid bracelet Satoru had worn, looking at it and knowing he would never love anyone else.

Todd tried daily to help Drew with distractions, but nothing worked. All the blonde wanted was to see Satoru. He'd give away his supply of food to people who needed it more, eating only the bare minimum to keep going long enough to say he tried. He'd constantly go outside in the cold, hair wet, barely wearing any clothing, or stay with sick patients, secretly trying to catch their illness whenever he could. He would do anything to make his time on earth shorter and shorter and shorter. Almost nightly, Drew's friend would find him curled up on the sofa with the television on, watching and rewatching recorded clips of his games. He would rewind and watch Satoru's smile, watch him hug Drew or kiss him or tilt his head in confusion, as they'd talk by the fire. He watched to remember, to try and erase the pain of Satoru's last moments. But nothing worked, of course.

The day came when he would be trainer to two young Tributes, just like him, and Drew had no advice to give the scared, wide eyed twelve and fourteen year olds. The blonde didn't want to do it. Todd and his trainer from the year prior had to forcefully drag him out of his house and on to the train. There were too many memories connected to that train; to sitting in a cold Capitol building. The same building where he had met Satoru. He stayed silent through the whole train ride, fiddling with the silver amino acid bracelet around his wrist. He thought back to his day in District Three, seeing the exact copies of Satoru's eyes plastered into the face of his distraught mother. They caught eyes at one point during Drew's boring speech, her lip trembling as she looked at him with utter disgust.

_He didn't blame her. He killed her son. He changed directions then, shaking his head and whispering softly into the mic. _

"_I loved your son more than anything on this earth. I made the wrong choice, and I regret it. But I want you to know how brave he was. How strong, and loving…and he was the most honest and beautiful person I have ever met._

"_He did a brave thing. No, infact, he did a multitude of amazingly brave things. He volunteered to protect Mika, he faced a mountain lion, he braved the death of someone he loved more than anyone…he fell in love, again, and braver than all, Satoru Kogo took his life to make sure I was here today. I'll see him again, I know that, and it's the only thing keeping me alive. Thank you for letting me have him for the short amount of time that I did. I just wish I had more time. But, I think we all just wanted more time with him." _

_During his speech, he'd constantly be looking at the bracelet, begging for a little bit of strength to continue. Ms. Kogo never took her eyes off him, stuck between an utter hatred and sense of pride for the boy standing at the microphone. She needed more time to decide, wanting to hear him speak. However, half way through, he stopped completely and walked right off the stage, unable to continue. _

"I'm scared," said a small voice that tugged Drew out of his memory. He wiped at his newly wet eyes and gave a diluted smile to the boy—the best he could possible find. It was hard to see the victor smiling. Not even in any of his pictures for articles or television interviews would he smile. He was broken. "What if you die?" Asked the twelve-year-old boy with freckles spotted over his whole face.

"Then you tried," Drew croaked out, glancing out the window. Being on this train was too much for him. Giving advice left a constant ache in his chest, right where his knife implanted in Satoru's chest. He glanced for just a moment at the young kid, seeing the absolute fear in his big brown eyes. He thought about what Satoru would say, and before he knew what he was doing, in a teary fit of words, Drew was word for word mumbling to the boy some of the last words Satoru ever said to him.

"This doesn't make you a bad person. There are as many good people in this world as there are bad, and you're one of the good ones. You got stuck into doing a bad thing. But that doesn't make you a bad person. Just unlucky," he added in at the end, having to paraphrase slightly. "But be strong, keep fighting because there is always someone out there to fight for…and win or loose, I'll see you at the end."

He could almost hear Satoru's voice whispering the words into his ears as he said them.

That was Drew's first and last year as a Tribute trainer. He didn't last much long after that. A few years of a life of pain, aching and sorrow that no one deserved to live. But he fought as hard as he could for Satoru, knowing that the boy would be right there when he was done. Eventually though, as everyone knew he would, Drew gave up. He needed Satoru, and they wouldn't keep him in the pain and misery he constantly lived through. Needless to say, there was nothing they could do to stop him.

Every story ever written is a combination of 26 letters—written and combined in different codes and languages, all telling an individual, highly distinctive tale. Some are short. Some are long. Every life ever lived is a story of it's own. Some end too soon. But for Drew, his life came to an end long before the book had been closed and put on a shelf. He died the day Satoru did, and it was only a matter of time before he joined him. It may not have been an excessively long book, but the chapters containing Satoru were the ones Drew would live and relive in his mind every moment of his life until the day he died.


	19. Chapter 19

Lucy should have known better. As she walked, a pebble bounced off the toe of her shoe, and Drew's head snapped to look at her. In a millisecond he has Satoru right behind him and was stalking towards her, eyes wide.

"Lucy, we were looking for-"

His words cut off when he saw the knives. They shone slightly from the reflections of the man-made stars above them, catching Drew's complete attention. Satoru relaxed slightly when he saw it was Lucy, but squinting to see the knives, his instincts told him to run.

"Drew come back here," he whispered pleadingly, not wanting to be left defenseless while Drew was against the redheaded girl. He had a lot less confidence now that she was standing now a few feet in front of Drew, green eyes wide and cat-like as she raised the knives.

"Not so confident anymore, are you?" She teased, lips curling into a cruel smirk. "I thought you said it would be easy to take me down."

"Lucy," Drew mumbled, knife positioned to kill. "Calm down. Of course he'd say that, we're all going to die."

"Oh but you're just saying that so you can use me to kill the Brit, aren't I right? You two think you know this game so well. But really all you do is hide. You're _scared. Weak._" She hissed at them, stomping towards Drew.

"You would have died anyways," Satoru whispered, sneaking up behind Drew and tugging at the zipper of the backpack. He grabbed his rope, slipping It out from under their blanket before tugging the zipper closed again. Her attention turned to him, watching as he grabbed the weapon.

"_Stop moving_," she demanded. "Or I'll kill him."

Satoru froze, the end of his rope slipping from his other hand, landing on the ground with a small whip of noise. He reached the free hand up to Drew, holding on to the back of his shirt. But Drew stepped forwards and out of his grasp, standing nearly face to face with Lucy.

"You're not strong enough to kill me," he mumbled, grabbing hold of her wrist the second she raised the dagger at him. He pressed his thumb roughly against the vein on her wrist, digging his nails into her skin until she dropped the knife from her grip, gasping from the unexpected pain. He kicked it aside, shoving her forward. With her free hand she sliced at Drew's arm, cutting through the fabric of his jacket to slash at his pink tinted skin.

"What happened to me helping you? You really want your little sweetheart to die?" She laughed, the sun obviously having gotten to her mind.

"I've had enough of you," Drew replied easily, shoving her to the ground. "I can take care of him by myself, we can take on Justin."

"You sure of that?" Called a voice in the distance, and all three of them turned to glance at the outline of a dark figure. Lucy took the opportunity to pull away from Drew, slicing again at his skin before he could grab her. This time the skin broke, oozing dark red blood as Drew let out a strangled noise. The time for games was not now. He grabbed her by the hair, eliciting a shriek to escape her lips as he tugged her closer, ripping the fire red hair from it's roots. He pulled her flush against himself, her back to his chest, and slid the blade of his knife across her throat. She screamed louder, voice bubbling as the blood entered her airway and Drew could hear as Satoru let out a gasp, but he didn't have time to worry about the girl. He heard Justin getting closer, and wasted no time in stabbing the knife roughly into her neck.

The cannon fired.

The real challenge began.

Satoru gripped the rope tightly as Justin got closer and closer, walking towards them with a long weapon gripped in his left hand. Drew left the girl's pale body to fall on the rock, wiping the blood off his hands on his pants as he picked up the knife he removed earlier from her hands. It was a bit heavier than what he was used to, but nothing he couldn't handle. He was ready to kill. There were only three of them left, and as Drew saw Justin make his way to Satoru, those killer instincts kicked in.

"It seems they've wasted a lot of camera time on such a small little thing," Justin practically spit at Satoru, the weapon in his hand unveiling itself as a spear. He tilted it towards Satoru, who looked defenseless standing absolutely tiny beside him with only a rope. Drew didn't like that. Satoru backed away as Drew passed by him, standing directly at the end of Justin's spear. He pushed it away, done with people who played with their victims before ending them.

"Spunky," Justin teased, laughing lightly as though he was at a party and not nearing the end of his life. "I would assume you were a Career if I didn't know where you came from. You could have come in handy. But you chose that hobbit instead."

Drew lurched forward, stabbing the knife towards Justin who knocked it aside, hurrying backwards to put Drew back at the end of his spear.

"Not so fast."

Drew took a deep heavy breath, glancing behind himself to see that Satoru had disappeared from his line of vision. He jumped to the side as Justin shoved the spear into the empty air where his chest would have been, landing on the ground with a huff of air as he grabbed his knife. He crawled forward, trying to stay out of sight in the pitch-black night as much as possible. He caught the outline of Justin's pant bottoms and tugged on them, tripping the Brit down to the ground.

Justin's spear came flying towards him and Drew rolled away, directly into the pool of blood spreading across the rock from Lucy's neck. He groaned and quickly stood, ignoring the stickiness of the hot liquid that was seeping into his clothing.

The darkness of the arena made it impossible for Justin to see where Drew had gone off to. They stalked around each other, dancing a twisted tango of murder attempts. When Justin finally assumed he had seen the shape of Drew's curls move in the distance he threw his spear out towards him, hearing a moan of pain as the blade skidded across the shorter one's shoulder.

Drew grabbed at the bleeding shoulder, clenching his hand into a tight fist around his knife. His right arm was butchered, shoulder and elbow, making it almost impossible to move. He switched the arm his knife was in, knowing his left wasn't as good as the other. But he needed to try. He worried desperately as to where Satoru was, taking a deep heavy breath as he felt around the ground to find Justin's spear. His finger weakly curled around the end of the spear, only to find someone was tugging it by the other end. He got pulled closer; Justin's eyes the only thing visible to him in the quickly lightening arena.

Drew, completely shocked, just stared as Justin forcefully shoved him back to the ground, standing over him with his spear poking directly into the fabric of his shirt. He had no idea how it happened, or how he ended up on the ground, but Drew knew Justin now held the upper hand. His breath was shaky, scared, even, as he looked up at Justin with a nervous expression.

"Where is your little boyfriend now? Not here to save you, I see?"

Drew swallowed, and glanced to the side as Justin moved the blade of the spear up along his chest to his neck, tracing it delicately along his skin. The outline of small boots appeared by Drew's line of vision, and he watched as they quickly approached, barely giving Drew enough time to process what was going on before Satoru rammed himself into Justin's body, the spear barely scratching Drew's skin as the small Tribute from District Three knocked the tall boy over.

He didn't have the strength to hold him down, and Drew panicked as he watched them both fall to the ground. Something shiny caught Drew's attention—a chunk off the cornucopia burnt and charred around the edges. Justin began to shove at Satoru, almost flipping them over. But Satoru was faster, ramming the piece of metal with a brutal strength against the British boy's forehead. His head slammed back against the rock heavily as he let out a grunt of pain.

The sky quickly began to turn to a shade of bright pink, giving light enough for the cameras to catch this final bloodbath. Drew shakily stood up, reaching his good hand out to grab Justin's spear. His knife stayed down at his feet as he snapped the weapon in half, chucking the ends as far away as he could.

Satoru pummeled Justin again with the rock, breaking through his skin with a ruthless power. Justin tried to get free despite the blood dripping down his skin, wiggling enough to turn onto his stomach. But Satoru just crawled right back on top of him, holding the metal between both of his hands. He forcefully brought the metal back down against Justin's skull, hearing as it cracked beneath him. The boy shouted out in agony, arms thrashing to try and get himself free. But his movements got weaker by the moment.

Satoru kept going. His force never stopped as he continuously smashed the metal back against the British boy's skull. Drew starred with huge blue eyes, not quite believing the amount of unexplained power the small boy suddenly possessed.

He continued even when Justin's blood began to trickle towards Drew's shoes. When his breath slowed to a stop, Satoru took a deep, heavy breath and stabbed the metal deep into his cracked and bleeding skull. The skin ripped around the piece as though he had ripped through tissue paper, his skull a piece of putty under the weight of the metal object.

He was long dead before Satoru stopped, breathing heavily through clenched teeth as he looked down at the back of the dead body. "_Don't touch him_," he growled.


End file.
